Bottled Happiness
by Padfooter
Summary: What Hermione needs is a potion that will prevent any damage done to her future children and the only place that sells this rather rare potion is a small apothecary located in Knockturn Alley; the only problem is the owner of said shop is none other than her ex-potions professor. (Abuse & OOC Ron Bashing) Nominated for the 2016 Bit Fiction Awards!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I

 **AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters.** **Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way.** **Also dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)**

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Hermione's hand tightened around her young daughter's hand, pulling her through the crowded streets of Diagon Alley, hushed whispers followed her every step. Being a member of the Golden Trio had thrown her into the spotlight, ever since the end the war, up until now nearly six years after the fall of the Dark Lord. It drove her mad, she hated how her life was projected for everyone to see; when she had given birth to her daughter four years' prior, Ron had been the first to step through the doors of St – Mungo's to announce the birth of their daughter; Hermione had been furious.

"Mummy, can we go to the bookstore?" Rose asked sweetly as she pointed towards the bookshop, tripping over her little feet as Hermione dragged her away. Hermione couldn't help but smile down at her daughter, she saw herself in her daughter; despite her flaming hair and ocean colored eyes, Rose Minerva Weasley was exactly like her mother in every way possible: she loved reading and learning, she also couldn't care less about Quidditch –something that bothered Ron to no ends- her hair was just as frizzy as her mother's had been at that age, and her facial features mirrored those of her mother. If it hadn't been for her hair and eyes, nobody would have thought her to be a Weasley.

"Of course sweetheart. I just need to stop someplace first." Hermione said as she leaned down to pick up Rose, who immediately wrapped her short arms around her mother's neck; Hermione flinched, her ribcage throbbed in pain. Hermione slipped through the archway that led towards Knockturn Alley, ignoring the men that roamed the alleyway. "Make sure you don't touch anything, okay love?" Hermione said sternly, her daughter nodded, snuggling her head further into the crook of Hermione's neck.

Hermione took a deep breath as she pushed open the door to Brewed Glory, a small apothecary shop that sold only the finest potions and ingredients. The shop itself was small and dimly lit, comparing greatly with the Potions classroom she visited two times a week for the course of six years. Dark mahogany shelves lined the walls, various sized flasks were exposed to her. "May I help you?" She tightened her grip on her daughter as the silky voice filled the room.

She walked towards the counter, nearly tripping over her pounding heart. "Yes, you can Professor." She felt Rose twist in her arms.

"Well if it isn't Mrs. Weasley." Her breath caught in her throat as he came into view. He had not changed in the slightest since she had last seen him. A few age lines framed his face, ones that hadn't been there last time she had seen him; granting the last time she had taken a close look at his face he had been in the middle of the Shrieking Shake, on the verge of death no less.

"Don't call me that." She spat bitterly, she carefully placed Rose down on the ground; she didn't want to let go of her, but the pain coursing through her body was too much to handle. "Remember sweetheart…"

"Don't touch," Rose said with a smile as she swayed from foot to foot, looking around at the shop excitedly.

"Good girl," Hermione said with a smile as Rose turned on her heel. She turned back towards her old Potions professor - he was eyeing her daughter carefully. "Don't worry she won't touch anything. She knows better"

"What can I help you with Mrs. Gran... -Hermione? " He asked curiously as her name rolled off his tongue. He eyed her carefully; She didn't look like the Hermione Granger he had seen countlessly during her school years, she seemed frail and weak; perhaps a scar from the war that had never healed? She was wearing a dark brown long sleeve turtleneck and a pair of faded blue jeans, her hair had tamed significantly over the years and now rested against her back carefully.

"I need two things actually," she said quietly as she walked closer towards the counter. "I need some Skele-Gro potion and a sterility potion," she mumbled the last words quickly; so quickly that he nearly missed her request.

"I can get you both of those no problem but it will be costly," he muttered, his curiosity peeking. "Sterility potions are quite difficult to brew and it will take a little bit of time for me to brew it." She looked up towards him, her eyes filled with fear; she sighed.

"I understand," she mumbled looking back towards her daughter, who seemed transfixed by the countless amount of flasks and colorful mixtures that lined the wall. "How long would it take roughly?"

"It would take me about a month," he said coolly.

"I'll take both," she said quickly placing her hand bag on the counter. "How much?"

"Mommy this place is awesome!" Rose said loudly as she skipped towards her mother. "Can we come back!" The little girl wrapped her arms around Hermione's legs; Hermione's breath hitched in her throat, she fought back a groan as she looked down at Rose – something that didn't go unnoticed by Severus.

"We'll see alright love." She looked back towards Severus, he looked almost concerned. "How much do I owe you?" She repeated; she had to get out of her –fast. Her hands trembled as she started digging through her bag.

"You can just pay me when you come and get the potion," he told her sincerely. Her hands stopped shaking and she looked up towards her ex-professor. "I'll send you an owl once it is complete."

She shook her head. "Don't." She said quickly, looking down once more at her daughter –Rose looked back at her with those mesmerizing blue eyes that she had fallen in love with years ago. "I'll come. Just please, don't send an owl." She continued, bringing her hand towards her face, pushing a loose strand of hair away from her face.

Severus's eyes snapped towards Hermione's wrist as the sleeve of her shirt slipped down her arm, exposing a nasty looking bruise. Hermione trailed her gaze towards her wrist. "Bloody hell," she whispered to herself as she quickly pulled the material of her shirt down.

"That's one knut for the swear jar mommy," Rose said happily as she looked up towards Severus. She quickly ducked behind Hermione's frame –peeking out occasionally to observe him; her bright blue eyes twinkled in the dimly lit environment. Severus had never been fond of children, and children had always seemed scared of him; it was a mutual agreement, one that Severus was completely okay with. However, for some reason this child; daughter of war hero's Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger didn't seem scared of him, it was the complete opposite; she seemed interested.

"Very well." Severus said as he walked from behind the counter. He slowly started making his way towards the rows of potions on the shelves, occasionally glancing towards the young Weasley girl who kept looking up at him. "Will you have enough with one flask?" He asked as he grabbed one of the bottles from the shelf.

"Yes." Hermione sighed as she walked towards him, dragging Rose along with her. "One bottle will be enough." She grabbed the vial from his outstretched hand and carefully placed it into her bag. "Are you sure you don't want my payment now? I can give it to you, I have the money…"

"I'll see you a month Hermione." He said with a frown as mother and daughter slowly started making their way towards the door. "You are aware that marital abuse is punishable by law in the Wizarding World Hermione."

She froze in the doorway, Rose bumped into her mother's backside seeing as she hadn't been paying attention to where she was walking. "I am aware Mr. Snape." She muttered breathlessly, not turning back to look at him. "I do also know that my marriage is none of your business." Without another word Hermione stormed out of the shop –little Rose Weasley in tow behind her.

Severus took a deep breath as he looked out of the window as Hermione disappeared from view; his mind racing at the thought of what other bruises she was hiding beneath the layers of her clothing. He quickly stormed towards the backroom, grabbing the various ingredients he would need to concoct the sterilizing potion. Who would have thought, after countless newspaper clippings of the famous lovers proclaiming their love for each other… who would have thought? He placed the ingredients on the counter and sighed deeply, he closed his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Why would she be needing a sterilizing potion? Was the abuse so bad that she was worried for the sake of any future children? He quickly got to work, trying to get the image of little Rose Weasley and her bright blue eyes out of his mind…

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 **AN: So I know this was fairly short, but it is not meant to be a super long fanfiction and I would assume it's going to be roughly five parts, seeing as I am working on a much longer fanfiction currently. Please review and let me know what you all thought, and do remember that I do not hate Ron Weasley, I really don't, it's completely for the sake of this story and nothing else! As always thank you for reading and I hope you guys enjoyed!**

 **Penny x**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

 **AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters.** **Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way. Also, dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)**

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"Do tell me, darling. When are you and Ron going to give me more grandbabies!" Molly asked excitedly as she bounced a six-month-old Hugo on her lap; unlike his older sister, Hugo looked nothing like Hermione, he was the spitting image of his father. That being said he was truly a momma's boy. She smiled sadly as she rubbed her baby's forehead lovingly, he had cried all the tears his little body could produce the day she had returned to work after her maternity leave; it had broken her heart.

Working as a top healer at St – Mungo's had insured her, at least, a year off to take care of her newborn; it had been the same during her first pregnancy, but just like the first she had been content in simply taking five months off. She absolutely loved her job, it was her home away from home, her sanctuary of sorts. "It's only been six months." Hermione chuckled nervously as she fumbled with her wedding ring aimlessly, twirling it around her finger.

"That's no excuse dear." Molly said as she rocked the young baby back and forth; Hugo gurgled quietly in her arms. "The minute Ronald was born we got pregnant with Ginevra. Your body was created to make babies dear."

Hermione sighed deeply, she absolutely loved Molly; she truly did, but they didn't always see eye to eye, especially when it came to baby making. Being an only child Hermione couldn't possibly fathom having more than two children, especially considering the current state of her marriage. Ron had always wanted a big family, and she understood that desire perfectly – he had grown up with a lot of siblings and he was used to the busy environment but she wasn't. She wanted to pursue her career, she wanted to help people, something she couldn't do if she kept getting pregnant.

Hermione looked around the living room, an overwhelming sea of red filled her vision as the countless amount of Weasley children ran around giggling and playing amongst each other; they were all engaged in a game of tag, except Rose who sat on the couch, a book in her lap, her legs swung back and forth rhythmically. "You should go and convince her to join the other children, it's not healthy for her to remain alone like that," Molly said as she stood up from her chair, leaning down she placed the redheaded baby into Hermione's arms. "I should go check on my roast." Molly continued as she disappeared into the kitchen – leaving Hermione to her peace and sanity.

"What do you think young man?" Hermione asked the baby looked up towards her, his bright blue eyes twinkling brightly. She smiled as he grabbed a loose strand of hair, clutching it tightly with all the force his little body could muster. "Would you like to have a younger sibling?" The baby remained quiet. "That's what I thought." Hermione continued with a smirk as she looked towards her daughter; if her daughter wanted to sit and read quietly by herself then she surely wasn't going to object.

Hermione winced as a flurry of dark hair crashed into her still form; short arms wrapped themselves around her middle section. "Carful sweetheart." Hermione reprimanded.

"I'm sorry aunt Mione." James Sirius Potter muttered embarrassingly, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"It's alright sweetheart," Hermione said as she patted the empty chair next to her. "You wanna sit with me?"

James nodded as he plopped himself down on the chair next to Hermione. "Can I hold him?" He asked hopefully, admiring his younger cousin, his green eyes filled with excitement. At the young age of five James was extremely mature and independent, much like Rose was and the two got along superbly well –which didn't come as a surprise to anyone really, considering the strong bond their parents had. When Hugo had been born, James had escaped the watchful eyes of his parents and had barged into her hospital room; his excited demeanor had turned sour when he had noticed that Hermione was in the middle of a feeding session. Little Hugo had been happily suckling on her nipple - James had been completely mortified.

"Of course," Hermione said happily as she carefully adjusted the position of the young boy. "Just make sure you support his head properly alright?" James nodded excitedly as Hugo was delicately placed in his embrace.

Hugo had been a much bigger baby then Rose had been, and his weight constantly increased as the months flew by; he was like his dad, he loved eating more than anything, so much so that Hermione's breasts were extremely tender and sore – more than they had ever been during her time breastfeeding her daughter. She had told Ron to be careful whenever they had sex, but seeing as he rarely ever listened to her in the first place the demand had slipped through the cracks of his mind. She turned towards her godson who was swaying Hugo carefully from side to side. "I need to use the loo are you going to be alright for a few minutes?" She knew she could trust him, she trusted the young five-year-old boy more than she did her husband; she scoffed at the thought, she didn't even know where Ron was.

"Yes, Auntie Mione," James said with a smile, never taking his eyes off his cousin. Hermione leaned down and kissed both boys on the head before quickly escaping towards the loo.

She swiftly closed the door behind her and leaned against the cool wood, taking a deep breath she walked towards the full-length mirror. She carefully lifted the hem of her sweater; she was incredible overheating, it was summer after all and wearing a sweater wasn't exactly ideal but she couldn't just walk around with those things on her body.

She winced as her battered body came into view; after the end of the war, Hermione had been so ashamed of the scars that littered her skin, the crude word that had been etched upon her forearm was the least of her concerns now. Her normally milky white complexion now looked sickly and frail, her torso was covered in dark bluish patches of bruised skin; creating a striking contrast with the white material of her bra. She carefully brought the tips of her fingers towards the skin, probing the skin tentatively; she groaned, it still hurt. She had immediately taken her dose of Skele-Gro when she had returned home the day prior, hoping that the healing process would be quick, but at the rate of how things were going, it didn't seem like it.

"Hermione are you alright?" She jumped as Ron's voice interrupted her train of thought.

"Yes, I'm fine," she muttered weakly as she pulled her sweater back down, covering the bruises once more. She turned around and pushed the knob of the toilet; the loud swirling of water covering her whimpers of pain.

"Food is on the table love." She smiled weakly at the nickname; thinking back to the night of the final battle – where despite the chaos that had surrounded them, they had finally found each other, embracing one another, loving each other. Oh, how things had changed. Her smile faltered as she opened the bathroom door, Ron had his hands in his pockets and was shuffling from foot to foot, his face was flustered and his gaze serious; he was upset about something. "What were you talking about with my mother?" He demanded in a hushed whisper, grabbing her arm forcefully.

"She was just asking when we would give her another grandchild." Hermione retorted breathlessly, ignoring the pain in her wrist. "Which frankly I don't think is any of her business."

Ron glared down at her and pushed her back into the washroom – slamming the door shut behind him. "Why are you so against the idea of having another baby?" He asked forcefully. "I told you when we got married that I wanted a big family."

"What about what I want Ronald. Do you ever stop for a second and think of what I want?" As soon as the words left her mouth she immediately knew that she would later come to regret it.

"What did you just say?" He spat loudly, smacking his hand against the counter. She quivered back in fear and closed her eyes, waiting for the blow to hit.

"Ronald darling? Are you guys alright in there?" Hermione had never been so glad to hear Molly's voice.

Ron fell back and coughed. "Yes mom, we're fine." He gave Hermione a small smile and placed his hand on her lower back guiding her towards the door.

Hermione blinked back tears: she used to crave his touch, his hand on her skin, his lips on hers. Now she cringed beneath his gaze and dreaded the moments he would cross the threshold of their home, she was scared of being in her own house, scared that he would one day turn and attack their children. The end of the war was supposed to bring a bright and safe future for their children to grow up in, but now she wasn't sure if that would be the case.

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After Hermione Weasley nee Granger and her young daughter had left his shop the day before, Severus had not stopped brewing. The sudden feeling of guilt and pity rendered him completely crazy; he had been there, not only had he taken several beatings himself as a young child but he had endured his mother being beaten till she laid on the ground bleeding. He had tried to help her but it had been no use; he had grown up without the love from his mother, and he wasn't about to let the same thing happen to the young Weasley children.

He had never felt a personal attachment towards the young Muggleborn witch, sure she had been his student for the course of six years and he had watched her grow into a beautiful young woman but that was it. He had never paid any particular attention to the budding duo – all he had heard was mere gossip; mostly coming from the mouth of his godson Draco. Sure Weasley wasn't the brightest tool in the shed but never had Severus expected him to turn out a woman beater.

"Christ sake!" Severus muttered angrily as he slammed the small vile onto the counter loudly; the vial shattered upon impact. "Always picking up the damn pieces behind those bloody Gryffindor's." He continued as the broken glass vanished with a flick of his wrist. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed loudly. Why was it that nobody had noticed Hermione's frail appearance; she was surrounded by people all the time, yet nobody had noticed the bruises she shielded away behind her armor of fabric. It didn't make sense.

He walked towards the lounge chair in the corner of the room and collapsed against the black leather material. He couldn't help but think back to the little girl who had looked around his shop in such wonder; her bright blue eyes twinkled with fascination; the thirst for knowledge feeding her young mind. She was exactly like her mother had been when she had first walked into the Potions classroom all those years ago. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath; he would have to go visit the third member of the Golden Trio in person if anybody knew anything it would be him. He needed answers and fast.

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 **AN: First of all, I want to give a big shout out to everybody who followed, favorited and reviewed the first chapter! I was completely floored by all the positive feedback I received in such a short amount of time; so much so that I decided to post the second chapter as soon as possible! Considering the chapters are a bit on the shorter side the story as a whole might be roughly ten chapters long. Special thanks to the following for reviewing: .9081323, Guest, Guest, minigrey, Natalie, Guest, Juicytubegirl, and Marriage1988. Reviews feed my desire to write so do keep that in mind! Updates will be posted weekly on Mondays, seeing as I am in university and don't have all that much time to focus on fanfiction! If you like my work please go check out my other story Photograph which is updated periodically on Thursdays! And last note I promise, Severus will be in the next chapter a lot more, I just felt the need to show off the family environment!** **Thank you for reading and let me all know what you thought!**

 **Penny x**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

 **AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters.** **Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way. Also, dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)**

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Severus looked down at his watch and sighed as he looked around the office. The office itself was like any other office at the ministry; there was a desk in the center of the room, a bookshelf against the wall and a total of three chairs around the room, files were stacked in an unorganized fashion on top of the filing cabinet near the door. Severus paced around the room slowly, taking notice of the various personalized effects that littered the room. Different framed faces looked back at him; a young boy –possibly James Sirius Potter- was swinging happily on a Muggle swing set, a pregnant Ginevra Weasley pouted miserably as she looked down at her swollen belly. He frowned as he looked down at a photo of James and Lily who were caught in a romantic embrace, smiling happily as their gaze shifted to look towards him. He continued walking along the bookshelf, the tightness in his throat making it difficult to breathe. His pace stopping as he took notice of one particular picture; it was a picture of the Golden Trio; which he assumed had been taken at Harry and Ginevra's wedding –he rolled his eyes as he remembered the paper headline the day following the event "The Wedding of the Century." He had been invited, but he had politely declined; he had never been one for events of the sorts.

Hermione was in the middle of the frame, a bright and happy smile etched upon her face as her gaze shifted; her gaze now focused on Ronald's face, she studied him lovingly. She wore a lovely dark blue gown and her long brown locks delicately framed her face. Harry and Ron were on each side of her, each man had an arm wrapped around her petite frame; matching smiles on their faces. Ron occasionally turned to look at the young woman, he seemed so utterly infatuated by her. As for Harry, he was looking past the frame, Ginny must have been standing nearby. They seemed so happy, when had everything gone so wrong?

"Severus. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He turned around swiftly as the door to the office closed shut. Harry Potter had not changed since he had last seen him; now in his mid-twenties and a father to a five-year-old with another baby on the way, Harry Potter truly seemed happy with life.

"I apologize if I'm catching you at a wrong time," Severus said seriously as he walked towards the man, shaking his hand courtly.

Harry shook his head as he pointed towards the cushioned chairs in front of the desk. "Oh not at all, work's been very minimal lately." Harry walked behind the desk and took a seat as well. "We finally caught Greyback last week, he had been hiding in the Forest of Dean for a few months now."

"Good riddance." Silence ensued as the two men looked around the room, not catching the other's gaze.

"How's your shop going?" Harry continued politely as he leaned back against the office chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh, business is great, with the beginning of the semester right around the corner."

"Will you be going back to teach Potions this year?"

"Minerva asked me. But no. My position as the Potions Master is something I could never go back too especially after the war, and I couldn't trust anybody with my shop." This made Harry chuckle –of course, Severus Snape did things on his own; he didn't need help from anybody.

"Now do tell me, what exactly brought you to my office."

"I'm here to discuss the relationship between your two best friends," Severus said coolly as he looked past Harry's frame, eyeing the picture of the three friends once more.

Harry's body stiffened noticeably. "What about it?" He asked curiously as he observed his ex-Potions Professor carefully.

"Hermione came to my shop a few days ago, looking for a bone mending potion and a sterility potion," Severus said bluntly as he leaned in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. "Now I would normally mind my own business when it comes to my clientele; however, I was left quite alarmed when I noticed a bruise on her wrist."

Harry remained silent.

"I just wanted to know if you had noticed anything peculiar about the relationship between your two friends."

"Are you insinuating that Ron beats her?" Harry muttered darkly, licking his dry lips. "Ron is a loving husband and a loving father to both Rose and Hugo and in no way do I believe that…"

"I am not insinuating anything, Mr. Potter," Severus said reassuringly. "I'm just wondering why Hermione would come to my shop asking for those two potions, and also why she would have bruises on her body." Severus remained calm, he had come here expecting Harry to have at least noticed something odd about the state of his two best friend's relationship; never would he have imagined the situation to be so grave. Harry was a smart boy, and he understood human relationships better than most people; he was simply in denial –which was normal; who would ever expect the third founding member of the Golden Trio to be abusive towards his wife?

"Maybe she fell down the stairs or something." Harry blubbered incoherently. "It wouldn't be the first time." He continued seriously, resting his head in his hands.

"What do you mean by that?" This peeked his attention greatly; sure Hermione Granger might have been a bit clumsy during her times at Hogwarts but even Neville Longbottom had never gotten bruised so badly.

"Just never mind." Harry carefully removed his glasses from his face, he sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. Sure, Ron and Hermione had seemingly been drifting apart, but Ron had assured him that their marriage was as passionate as ever; he couldn't help but think of Hermione's smile that never quite reached her eyes, much like it did in the framed picture he had of the three of them. "Fine maybe they've been drifting apart, but there's no reason to accuse Ron of beating her," Harry muttered angrily as he looked towards the man.

"Very well," Severus said as he quickly got to his feet. "I shall let you get back to work, just remember one thing, Potter." Harry winced at the old nickname. "Next time you see Hermione, look at her carefully. Look at her demeanor, at her clothing, at her appearance. If you see nothing out of the ordinary then fine, maybe she did indeed just fall down the stairs." Severus continued as he pulled the door open. "But if you do see something particularly out of the ordinary, then you know where to find me."

Harry watched as the man strode out of the office; he needed to talk to Hermione, he didn't want to believe Severus, Ron would never hurt Hermione like that, he wasn't like that.

"What was the greasy git doing in your office?" Harry's head snapped up towards the door as Ron Weasley walked into his office. Harry's mouth went dry.

"I just wanted to discuss some Hogwarts related business with him," Harry said quickly as Ron took a seat in the same chair Severus had been sitting in mere minutes before. "How's Hermione doing? She didn't seem all that great last night."

"Oh, you know how women are. She had an argument with my mother, that's all." Ron said as he leaned back against the chair, raising his feet onto the desk; much to Harry's utter annoyance.

"What about?"

"My mother wants more grandbabies but Hermione isn't ready." Ron rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I mean Hugo is only six-months-old."

"Oh, not you too. Bloody hell mate. Hermione knew what she was getting herself into when we got married. I want a big family; she just needs to stop being such a prude." Harry flinched at Ron's critical tone. "Who's the bird in the office next to yours. She's bloody gorgeous." Ron said a goofy smile on his face.

Harry rolled his eyes; maybe Severus was right after all.

* * *

Hermione sighed happily as she looked down at the baby who was sucking on her nipple hungrily; despite the pain, she absolutely loved the connection she had with her children – something she knew they would never have with their father.

"Mummy, when are we eating dinner?" Rose asked as she skipped into the room, her long red locks flowing behind her. "I'm hungry."

"The minute daddy gets home alright sweetheart," Hermione said looking towards her daughter. She was scared; scared for both her daughter and her son. Ron's temper sparked at the most random of moments; she tried to shield his anger away, but it was difficult, she was curious about the world around her, much like any other four-year-old child would. "Why don't you go read in your room until then?" Rose nodded before skipping out of the room happily.

Hermione looked around the dim room; embracing the peaceful quiet that engulfed her; the only sound coming from her son as he continued to nurse. Hugo's room was simple enough, the walls had been painted a baby blue color, the furniture was cream colored, a large toy dragon stood in the corner of the room watching her with its beaded eyes.

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of the front door closing loudly. "I'm home!" She quickly stood up from her seat, her nipple hardened as a cool breeze wisped through the room. "It's okay love." She whispered quietly as Hugo began to cry due to the loss of contact.

"Daddy!" Rose exclaimed loudly, a flurry of red passed by the open door of Hugo's bedroom.

"Hey, peanut." Loud footsteps sounded throughout the house.

Hermione carefully patted the young boy on the back as she swayed him gently. He burped quietly. She kissed his head as she placed him down in his crib; fighting back tears as he stretched his little arms up towards her. "I'll be back sweetheart."

She couldn't help but smile as she made her way down the stairs: Ron was on his knees in front of their daughter, a huge smile plastered on the four-year-old's face as she branded a piece of paper in front of his face. "This is for you daddy," Rose said with a smile as she pushed the drawing into his hands.

"I'll hang it up in my office how about that?" Rose nodded as she wrapped her little arms around Ron. Ron did truly love their children, there was no denying it and deep down she knew that he would never lay a finger on either of them, as for Rose she was too young to understand the errors of her father's ways; he was her father after all and she did love him more than anything.

"How was your day?" Hermione asked quietly as she stepped down onto the landing, her hand gripping the railing for support.

"Work was good, how was your day?" He asked as he walked towards her, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. "You will never guess who Harry was speaking too in his office earlier." Ron continued as he headed towards the kitchen.

Hermione remained silent.

"The greasy bat from the dungeon," Ron muttered with a chuckle as he pulled the refrigerator door open, rummaging through the shelves; his stomach growled loudly.

Hermione blanched. "Severus? Why would Harry be speaking with Severus?" She asked weakly as she walked towards the stove. Grabbing the oven mitts, she carefully grabbed the roast that had been cooking in the oven.

"Oh, it's Severus now is it." Ron accused loudly as he slammed the door. "You haven't been talking with him have you?"

"Of course not."

"You've always been a rubbish liar." He muttered darkly as he slammed his open palm onto the counter.

"I just needed a potion." She admitted. She glanced towards Rose who stood in the entrance way looking towards her parents, the drawing still clutched in her little hand. Hermione glanced towards the staircase; Rose understood the message and she quickly disappeared from view.

"A potion for what!" He demanded, pushing his body against hers.

"I needed a bone mending potion okay? That's it." She cried desperately. "There was no chit chat, I paid for my potion and then I left."

Ron's tall and lean frame shook; his eyes were now a dark bluish color; his captivating sea blue orbs long gone. "Stop lying to me! All you do is lie and I am sick of it!" Time seemed to stop as a loud crack filled the room. She cried out in pain as she staggered backward, the force of the blow nearly sending her to the ground. "Tell me the truth!"

"I am telling you the truth! Rose was with me! All I did was purchase that one potion!" She screamed loudly as she clutched her red cheek.

Grabbing her shoulders, he forcefully pushed her against the kitchen wall, her head colliding with the brick wall; a gasp of air left her body. Next thing she knew she was on the ground, her nails scratching against the wooden flooring as she tried to scurry away from him. Her vision was blurry, her ears were ringing and her head was pounding. "Stop" She breathed quietly as a sob escaped her quivering body; she couldn't breathe. "Ron, stop, please." She looked around hallway trying to spot her wand amidst the chaos. She was now on all fours, trying to drag her body away; her arms shook under her own weight.

Her heart was beating out of her chest. Tears escaped her closed lids as her son's soft cries filled the air. She didn't know where he was, she couldn't visualize him; her vision clouded by the tears and the black spots that appeared before her. She groaned loudly as his foot collided with her ribcage; she collapsed against the wood; she couldn't breathe. He forcefully grabbed her hair and turned her around, slamming her back against the wood flooring; he was staring down at her, not saying a word.

Before she knew it he vanished before her very eyes, she took a staggering breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding. Hugo's cries echoed throughout the house; her baby was calling for her, but she couldn't move. She gingerly brought her hand up to her head, her hair was coated in a sticky yet warm liquid; she gasped quietly as she looked at her hand which was now coated in the red liquid.

"Mummy?" She slowly turned her head to look at her daughter who stood on the last step of the staircase, she was clutching onto her soft bunny rabbit; her first stuffed animal bought for her by Ron himself at the hospital gift shop mere hours before her birth.

Hermione took a shaky breath before beckoning her daughter forward. "Mummy needs you to be brave alright sweetheart?"

* * *

Severus took a swig of the bitter amber liquid, he coughed as the liquid burned the back of his throat. "Damn Potter." He muttered to the darkness that surrounded him. He still couldn't believe the boys ignorance. The strong odor of the brewing potion filled the room, making his abnormally large nose twitch slightly; he had completely the first step of the potion, it just needed to brew for a total of two days before he could proceed to the next step. He closed his eyes as he leaned back against the couch and sighed deeply; he was exhausted, the last few days had been overwhelming, he just needed some rest –he deserved that much.

Over the course of the past nights he had been plagued by images of a young redheaded child standing over the dead corpse of her mother; a pool of blood surrounding her. "You couldn't save her." The child muttered angrily pointing towards him. "And now he's going to kill me." He had woken up shaking and sweating profoundly.

His eyes snapped open as a blaring alarm sounded throughout his flat; he had completely forgotten to close the floo network. He quickly scurried to his feet and staggered towards the lounge –where the fireplace was located. He stopped dead in his tracks, nearly falling forward in shock.

"Mr. Snape?" Young Rose Weasley was standing in the lounge of his flat; her cheeks wet with tears, she wasn't wearing any shoes and her right blue sock was caked in blood. "You need to come help my mummy."

* * *

 **First of all, ignore my previous comment about this story being updated every Mondays; this story will be updated whenever I feel like it alright, hopefully, you all are okay with that! This was literally so difficult to write, I had a few different versions planned out but honestly, this was the best. I'm sorry if the whole abuse scene is kind of all over the place it was just really hard for me to write but I hope you guys liked it! Next chapter we will definitely see some relationship development between Snape and Hermione, Snape and Rose and also Snape and Hugo which I am personally super excited for considering that we haven't explored that particular relationship yet! Last note this is not in any way gonna feature Harry bashing, Harry will come around do not worry and the Weasley family will not turn onto Hermione at all! Just wanted to let you all know! Once again thank you to the following people for reviewing: Lusting for Life, Guest, viola1701e, MrsStrawberryBlonde, Juicytubegirl, lunarose87, Blue night fairy, Dutchgirl01, minigrey, Vaneesa85, lovethelab and finally Natalie. You are all amazing! Also a big shout out to everyone who followed and favorited this story! Please review, reviews fuel my desire to write!**

 **Penny x**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

 **AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters.**

 **Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way. Also, dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)**

* * *

"Mummy needs you to be brave alright sweetheart?" Hermione gasped weakly as she extended her hand towards her daughter. "You remember the nice man with the potion shop?" Rose quickly nodded, stopping before Hermione; her foot landing in a small puddle of blood that had pooled out of Hermione's head wound. Rose kneeled down in front of her mother, soothing Hermione's unruly hair carefully.

"With all the colorful potions and weirdly shaped bottles?" Rose asked clutching her stuffed bunny closer to her chest, she sniffed quietly.

"That's right love," Hermione said shakily. "Do you remember how to use the floo?" She coughed loudly; breathing was becoming a harder task, she felt like her lungs were collapsing onto themselves, sucking the life out of her one shaky breath at a time.

Rose remained silent as she looked down at her mother sadly. "Are you going to die mummy?"

Hermione groaned, sheering pain coursed through her body every time she twitched, coughed or even took a breath. "Rose. Do you remember how to use the floo?" She said sternly. "I'm not going to die, but you have to listen to me alright?"

"I remember mummy."

"Good girl," Hermione smiled through clenched teeth. "What I need you to do is to go by the fireplace and grab some of the powder in the small bucket alright?" Rose quickly got to her feet and ran towards the fireplace; leaving her stuffed bunny near Hermione.

"I can't reach it, mummy!" Hermione looked towards her daughter with a pained expression; Rose was stepping up on her tippy toes, stretching her short arms up as far as she could reach. Her fingertips barely grazed the metal tin that contained the powder, her little tongue poked out from behind her closed lips. "I can't do it, mummy!" Rose cried as she looked around the living room.

Hermione slowly brought her hand down towards her stomach, clenching the material of her baby blue shirt in her hand; her expressions darkened as she slipped the cotton material up the bare skin of her stomach. A large dark purple patch of skin looked back up at her; her abdomen was hurting, she groaned. She had seen enough during the war to know what was happening to her body; she looked back towards Rose who now held the tin material in her hands. "Rose?"

Rose looked back towards her with a soft smile. "I did it mummy! I did magic!"

"That's great sweetheart." She was now seeing double; the continuous pain in her abdomen getting significantly more uncomfortable as the seconds rolled by. Oh, how she wished she could grab her daughter into a hug; she was a witch; Rose was a witch. "You know what you have to do right?"

Rose quickly nodded, seemingly snapping back to the severity of the situation at hand. With shaking hands, she carefully took a handful of the powder. "What do I say, mummy?" Rose asked quickly, walking towards the fireplace.

Hermione's brow creased. She replayed the words in her mind continuously. "You have to say" her speech was slurred and barely comprehensible, he wouldn't be at his shop at this time, he had to be home. She could always send Rose off to get Harry, but she couldn't risk the fact that Ron might very well be there. "Severus Snape's flat." She muttered weakly. "Say it really clearly sweetheart." Hermione continued; her eyes closed on their own accord, her body was betraying her; it was shutting down in order to prevent further harm from being done.

The darkness slowly started to engulf her, the noises around her getting fainter; Hugo's cries now mere whimpers and the last thing she heard before falling into the eternal abyss was her daughter's clear and soft voice: "Severus Snape's flat."

* * *

Severus stood in shock as the young girl rushed towards him; grabbing his hand she dragged him towards the fireplace. "We have to hurry! Mummy's hurt!" She cried out in despair.

His heart plummeted to his chest at the young girl's distraught demeanor –Hermione was hurt, had word gotten out of his visit with Potter that same afternoon? Or was this attack just like any other? He turned on his heel and stomped towards the laboratory –glancing at the brown liquid that brewed in the copper cauldron. He quickly snagged the little box that hung on the wall. "What are you doing?" Rose cried loudly –her frown disappeared as he emerged back into the lounge; leaning down he grabbed the young girl in his arms, clutching her quivering body against his own. Her hand immediately grabbed a fistful of his nightshirt –pulling at a few chest hairs; he ignored the pain and quickly felt the familiar tug at his navel as the pair disappeared.

When his feet touched the solid ground the first thing he noticed his was the loud crying of a baby, which came from the upper portion of the house, the second thing that grabbed his attention was the strong smell of copper and lastly was the crumbled body that lay motionless in the middle of the room.

He quickly set the young girl back down on the ground and rushed forward dropping to his knees next to Hermione's head -carefully avoiding the puddle of blood next to her head. Rose stood back, observing the Potions Master.

Severus sighed as he tipped Hermione's head back, his fingers sticky and warm from the blood that caked the back of her head. "Rose go upstairs and take care of your brother." He said loudly not looking back at the young redheaded child who still stood in the doorway. He carefully grabbed the hem of her blue shirt, sliding it up the bare skin of the stomach; his warm fingers cold against her skin –a dark purplish bruise was hiding underneath the material of her shirt. "Bloody hell."

He turned around to look over his shoulder –Rose was peeking out from behind the wall. "Rose. Upstairs. NOW!" He bellowed loudly and Rose quickly disappeared from view; moments later her soft shushing noise reached his ears –the baby stopped crying.

Turning back towards Hermione he slowly waved his wand over her broken body; there was some internal bleeding, caused by the blunt force trauma. The gash in her head was deep –nothing a few droplets of dittany couldn't handle; she would also need a to take a blood replenishing potion; but as long as he could stop the internal bleeding she would be okay. He would have to get her back to his flat; no way was he going to leave her here… Rose and Hugo would be coming along as well; a decision he was surely going to regret later.

"Tergeo." He muttered quietly, his wand pointed at her head –the caked blood around the wound and in her hair disappeared giving him better access to the gash. He grabbed the little bottle of dittany from the black box and with rapid movements unscrewed the cap of the bottle. He slowly brought the stopper towards her head –a few drops of the dark liquid dropped onto the wound; moments later the gash had healed almost perfectly.

"Se –Severus?" His eyes flickered towards her face, her doe brown eyes flickered open slowly. "Rose –she?" She looked around the room quickly; her face laced with worry and confusion.

"She's alright. She's upstairs taking care of her brother." He whispered reassuringly, looking back down at her stomach, his fingers warm against her cool skin; sending shivers trailing down her spine. "You taught her well." He continued with a smile. "She made it to my flat all by herself." He smirked as he slowly began casting spells upon the young Muggleborn witch's broken body.

"I was worried you wouldn't have left your floo open." She muttered –her breathe shallow and laboured. She glanced down to observe what he was doing –his nimble fingers danced upon her skin, the dark bruise slowly began to falter, her skin slowly returning to its original color.

He ran his hand over her smooth skin, the bruise now completely gone. "You're lucky I forgot too." He said as he pulled her shirt back down. "You'll be alright; you just need a supplement of blood replenishing potion." He looked down at her forearm –sadness overwhelmed him, the bitter and cruel word glanced back up at him; now a simple memory of the war they had won years ago. Various different bruised stared back up at him, he would also have to tend to those.

He glanced back to her face, her eyes fluttering closed; her cheeks gaining colour slowly. "Mr. Snape?" He turned around at the little voice that called out to him. Rose was on the landing of the stairwell holding onto her six-month-old brother who looked towards him with wide eyes. "Is my mummy okay?" She carefully walked towards him, trying to sneak a peek at Hermione who had passed out once more. She staggered forward, the weight of her baby brother slowing her down.

He quickly got to his feet and carefully took the redheaded baby out of her arms. "Yes, your mother will be fine." He muttered coolly looking down at the baby who gurgled happily in his arms. "You are going to come stay with me for a little while." Hugo looked up towards the Potions Master –his blue eyes wide and curious as a trail of saliva dribbled down his chin.

"See mummy. Mr. Snape is going to take care of us." Rose whispered into her mother's ear as she ran her little hand through the witch's dark tresses; pecking her mother on the cheek lovingly.

"Can you stay with her for a minute?" Rose looked up towards him nodding before turning back to look at her mother who remained motionless on the ground. "I'll be right back okay."

He felt the familiar tug at his navel and in seconds he was standing back in his flat still holding on to the young baby who looked around at his new environment. He quickly walked towards the guest bedroom and grabbed one of the pillows that littered the bed and carefully placed it down on the ground. With a swift flick of the wrist, the pillow transfigured itself into a white crib, etched with baby blue inscriptions on the sides. "That's gonna have to do." He muttered to himself as he carefully placed the small boy into the crib; the baby whined at the immediate loss of contact. "Why did I ever decide to get rid of that house elf." He asked the baby –not expecting any sort of answer. "I'll be right back." He didn't wait for the baby to answer and simply disappeared from his flat once more.

Rose was still on the ground next to Hermione, a sad smiled graced the small girl's lips, she looked deep in thought, her bottom lip quivered slightly. "Come on Rose," Severus said slowly, beckoning her forward. The small girl slowly got to her feet and with a steady beat walked towards him, looking back to look at Hermione once more. Leaning down he grabbed the girl into his strong arms, she immediately nestled herself into the crook of his neck and the two disappeared once more.

Surprisingly his flat was quiet, no crying baby –mere whimpers in the dark as he placed Rose down onto the ground. "You watch your brother alright? I'll go get your mummy." Rose didn't dare mutter a word, she simply stood still next to the crib observing her surroundings, much like her brother had done few seconds before.

He popped back into the Weasley homestead –he could feel the slight quiver in his stomach from all the apparating he was doing. He kneeled down on the ground and took Hermione into his strong arms –the puddle of deep red vanished; the hardwood flooring looked slightly darker than the rest of the floor. He looked around the room one last time before the house disappeared from view. He finally landed into his flat and carefully placed the sleeping witch onto the bed; he sighed deeply as he wiped his sweaty brow. He glanced at the bedside table, the soft red numbers blinking back at him in the darkness; he was exhausted.

"Mr. Snape?" He glanced towards the doorway –her small frame stood in the dimly lit doorway. "I forgot my bunny."

He rolled his eyes and sighed deeply before the overly familiar tug at his navel whisked him back once again to the Weasley house. He quickly spotted the young girls bunny rabbit next to the puddle of blood on the ground; leaning down he picked it up. Looking around the room he pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it upwards towards the ceiling. "Pack." In mere seconds, a large trunk stood before him, filled with everything they might need: clothing, baby supplies, hell even some of Hermione's female products peeked out from the behind the partially closed zipper. He clutched the bunny rabbit in one arm and grabbed the handle of the trunk with the other and finally zipped away back to his flat.

The trunk landed on the ground with a loud bang –causing the youngest member of the Weasley family to wake up; loud crying filled the room. Rose quickly ran forward and grabbed her bunny from Severus's tight grasp. "Thank you." She said happily as she walked towards the bed, sitting down next to Hermione atop the soft sheets. The bedroom lights slowly turned on –Severus looked at the young girl curiously but said nothing. "I think he's hungry." She pointed out as the baby's shouts got increasingly louder and louder.

"Thank you for the observation Rose," Severus muttered darkly as he stumbled towards the crib; the baby was red in the face, almost as red as his hair and he was munching on his fist hungrily, flapping his legs in despair. He took a deep breath before leaning down to grab the baby in his arms. He quickly stalked off towards the kitchen, pulling the door to the muggle refrigerator open; thankfully he had a little bit of milk left and thankfully he had babysat a young Draco Malfoy long ago and knew the basics to tending to a newborn.

After a few quick spells he had a bottle filled with warm milk and was pressing the nipple against the babies mouth; he sighed in relief as the baby happily latched onto the nipple. He slowly made his way back towards the guest bedroom, smiling as he noticed that Rose had passed out next to Hermione on the bed still holding onto her bunny.

Once Hugo was happily fed Severus vanished the empty bottle and maneuvered his way across the room –tucking the young Weasley girl underneath the bed sheets making sure she was warm and comfortable. The lights dimmed down, the room now pitch black minus the soft light coming from the hallway. He glanced back down at the baby in his arms who was getting quite fussy. He quickly turned around and dashed towards the bedroom door –a gasp of pain left his lips as his toe collided with the leg of the bed. "God fuck." He muttered to himself, almost losing balance in the process. He leaned down to grab one of the towels on the dresser, his hand desperately fishing for anything... but it was too late; Hugo had already spat up all over his nightshirt.

Yup, he was definitely regretting his decision.

* * *

 **I want to apologise for the wait, I know it's been well over a week now but school and easter break caught up** to **me and I found myself in no position to write. Also, I want to thank every single one of you for following this story (surpassed 100 and I am so stoked) and also to everyone who favourited it as well. Thank you to everyone who reviewed also as you all know reviews fuel my desire to write -so please keep reviewing: thanks to Guest, minigrey, Juicytubegirl, lunarose87, lovethelabb, DADAMistress, Blue night fairy, candi17, AuroraJenkins, Natalie, minniemousemom, Vaneesa85, viola1701e, Dutchgirl01 and misia88! And finally I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I had a hard time writing this one but hopefully, you guys enjoyed it and poor Severus got caught up in quite the situation hasn't he? And a familiar face will be popping up in the next chapter so be excited for that! Hopefully, the next update will come as soon as possible! I love you all lots and lots and once again please review!**

 **Penny x**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V

 **AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters.**

 **Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way. Also, dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)**

* * *

Severus was exhausted; he had only managed to fall asleep at around 4:30, only to be rudely awoken an hour later by a screaming Hugo Weasley whose diaper was filled to the brim with poop. It was in those particular instances that Severus thanked the heavens for magic. After changing the young boys diaper he had trudged back into his bedroom and collapsed against the soft mattress, falling into a deep slumber the minute his head had hit the pillow.

He had monitored Hermione closely –her breathing had returned to normal and the internal bleeding had for the most part stopped; all she needed was some rest and she would be okay.

As for the young bubbly girl she was wide awake and carefully running her hand through her mother's soft hair, it was currently 8:12; her stomach grumbled loudly causing her to burst into a fit of giggles. She carefully slid off the bed, the wooden flooring cold against the soles of her little feet. She walked towards the crib, peering inside to look at her brother through the bars of the crib; he was fast asleep.

She quietly tiptoed out of the bedroom; peering around the corner she gleamed happily at the quiet that welcomed her, the warm sun poking from behind the dark curtains. She slowly made her way through the flat –curiosity leading her towards every nook and cranny the place had to offer. The flat was filled with clutter; however, said clutter was very well organised: piles of books littered the ground, various flasks of different shapes and sizes clustered the various wood shelves that clung to the wall, countless different potion ingredients placed on the kitchen counters.

Her little nose twitched as she opened the refrigerator door, a strong pungent odour filled her nasal cavity, the smell of onion and dead fish. She closed her eyes tightly, the strong odour making her eyes water. She closed the door shut taking a breath of fresh air as her tummy released another loud groaning noise –she was oh so very hungry.

She looked around the small kitchen her small mind hard at work wondering what could be hidden behind the cupboard doors. She walked towards the counters and carefully hoisted herself up onto the marble counter, grabbing onto the corner of the cupboard as to steady herself. She smiled devilishly as she opened the doors; her smile faltered as countless small boxes of tea looked back at her. She slid herself across the counter –opening the next shelf hopefully; nothing but stale biscuits and uncooked pasta. She frowned as she continued her journey across the kitchen counter, ultimately left unsatisfied and as hungry as ever.

She frowned as her feet touched the tiled flooring, her head bowed down to look at her feet. She dragged the chair across the tiled ground loudly –not caring who woke up in that particular moment. Her head snapped upwards as soft and hushed whispers reached her ears. "Severus?" Rose froze, her hands still grasping tightly the bars of the chair.

The young girl looked around the kitchen in a flurry of panic: the deep manly voice was getting closer. Her small body started to quiver under the pressure; she knew it wasn't her daddy –it couldn't be; it was a voice that was unrecognisable to her. She had two options: hide under the table, or run as fast as her little legs could carry her until she reached the Potion Masters bedroom. She could hear quick footsteps progressively getting louder as the mysterious figure got closer to the kitchen.

She closed her eyes tightly and mapped out the flats layout in her mind and with a deep breath she dashed out of the kitchen. "Hey!" The voice cried out towards her and she felt a soft hand grab her shoulder –she swatted the hand back and continued to run as fast as she could towards Severus's bedroom, her fiery unruly halo of hair flying behind her at top speed.

She peeked her eyes open slowly, smiling as she pushed the door open, closing it shut behind her –the voice following her closely from behind the wooden barricade. "Mr. Snape! Mr. Snape!" She dashed towards the bed and quickly climbed up onto the comfy mattress, poking the man in the shoulder; silent tears coursed down her cheeks. "There's somebody in the house!"

Severus's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up, the heavy comforter pooled at his waist exposing his scarred chest. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked at the distraught girl next to him. "Rose?"

"There's somebody in the house." She whispered once more, pushing his body towards the edge of the bed.

Instinctively Severus grabbed his wand from beneath his pillow and slowly slid out from under the comforter –pointing his wand towards the door; Rose slid out of bed as well following closely behind him, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

He placed his hand carefully on the handle of the door –he sucked in a deep breath as he turned the knob, with a swift movement he pulled the door open coming face to face with none other than Draco Malfoy –a small blob of blondish white hair peeked out from behind his godson's slim frame. "Draco!" Severus said reassuringly as he leaned against the frame of the door, storing his wand in the back pocket of his sleeping pants.

"Did I miss something?" Draco asked curiously as he looked towards Rose who remained hidden behind Severus. "Who did you shag to get such a redheaded girl? A Weasley?" He chuckled loudly –Rose flinched at the man's hollow laughter.

"Get your mind out of the gutter. It's not what you think!" Severus snapped loudly, eyeing his godson carefully. "What are you doing here this early in the morning?" He continued as he turned around to look at Rose. "It's alright Rose, he's not going to hurt you." He rubbed the small girls shoulder in comfort.

Rose took a step to the side, getting a better look at the man who stood before her –she immediately took notice of the small child that clung to the man's dress pants tightly, his hair as white as the man before her. "I'm Rose Weasley." She said extending her hand towards the man, her lips pursed, her brow raised.

"Weasley huh?" Draco said with a smirk, grabbing the young girls hand. "I'm Draco Malfoy. Tell me how old are you, Rose?"

"I'm four." She said proudly, sticking up four fingers towards Draco as she swayed from foot to foot.

"What a coincidence. Scorpius here is four as well." Draco said with a smile as he pushed the young boy forward. "Isn't that right Scorpius?"

Severus smirked as the two children looked at each other slowly –Scorpius was just like his father both in looks and in attitude; he was a little shit, just like his father had been at that age; however, he had better manners than his full grown father.

"Scorpius that's a funny name," Rose said with a smile as she looked towards the young boy –his eyes a bright grey colour.

"Don't be rude Rose." Severus reprimanded quietly.

"Sorry." She muttered sheepishly. "Do you wanna play with me?" She asked the young boy eagerly –all thoughts of hunger melted away at the thought of having somebody to play with.

The young boy nodded and the two happily dashed out of the room, hand in hand. Quiet ensued as the two men looked at each other. "This is like pulling teeth Sev. You gonna explain to me why you've got a four-year-old Weasley child in your flat?"

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath as a loud crying filled the air. Draco raised his eyebrow at the older man. "And a baby apparently?"

"How about some tea?"

* * *

Draco took a sip of the scorching liquid as he looked at his godfather who was holding on to whimpering Hugo Weasley; his little pudgy face as red as the colour of his hair. "So these are children of Weasel and Granger?" He asked, shocked at the severity of the situation.

Severus nodded, bouncing his knee trying to distract the young boy in his arms.

"And Weasley is abusing Hermione?"

Severus nodded again, taking a sip of his own tea.

"So you brought her here and took care of her?"

Severus rolled his eyes as looked over his shoulder: Rose and Scorpius were playing tag, screaming loudly in excitement.

"Well then," Draco said as he leaned back against his chair, shocked at the tale of the Golden couple that had gone tragic. "Who knew the Weasel had it in him." He looked down at his mug deep in thought. "What about their family, and Potter, have they not noticed anything?"

"Potter is in denial. You would be too if your best friend turned out to be a woman beater." Severus said solemnly, a deep frown on his face. "I healed most of her wounds, it was pretty bad. She had internal bleeding and nearly bled to death in her own living room."

"What a bastard," Draco said loudly, smacking his fist down on the table. Draco had never been particularly attached to the Muggleborn witch, but the war had changed him much like many others in his immediate circle. He too had lived in an abusive homestead growing up –thankfully his mother had managed to escape the grasps of the Dark Lord barely untouched and they lived together at Malfoy Manor with Scorpius, and his wife Astoria Greengrass while his father rotted in his high-security cell in Azkaban. "Do you know why the abuse started?"

"No idea," Severus muttered bitter –neither noticed the quiet sounds of footsteps that slowly made way towards the kitchen it was Rose's loud shrieks of joy that alerted the two…

"Mummy!" Rose exclaimed loudly, forgetting all about her new friend she rushed towards Hermione who staggered forward. "You're okay!"

Hermione gave her daughter a weak smile –she took a shaky breath as she leaned against the door frame. She glanced towards the kitchen where both Slytherin's were looking at her carefully. "Good morning."

"You shouldn't be on your feet." Severus reprimanded quietly, quickly standing to his feet he grabbed her forearm and guided her towards the chair he had previously been sitting in –the baby still nestled in his arms comfortably "Would you like some tea?" Rose quickly followed behind the pair, not letting her gaze drift away from her mother's small and frail frame.

"I'm okay Severus," Hermione muttered eyeing Draco carefully. "But yes tea would be lovely." She took a seat in the chair and extended her arms forward towards Severus –he carefully placed the young babe into his mother's waiting arms. "How have you been Draco?" She asked not looking towards the blond who sat next to her –she seemed lost in her baby's eyes, his pudgy hand came up to catch a fallen strand of hair in his hand tugging at it slightly.

"Oh, I'm doing well." He muttered awkwardly taking a sip of the bitter tea. He tried to pry his watchful eyes away from the hand shaped markings on her arms. He diverted his gaze towards the doorway where Scorpius was observing the scene before him. "I don't think you've met my son." He continued beckoning the young boy forward. "This is Scorpius." He said proudly as the little boy trudged into the kitchen –his gaze locked with his fathers.

"It's very nice to meet you Scorpius," Hermione said with a warm smile as she looked down at the little boy, rocking Hugo in her arms gently.

Scorpius remained silent, his small hands in his father's lap. Draco pushed his sons shoulder lightly –urging a response from the young boy. "Hi." He said weakly giving her a small smile.

Severus placed the steeping cup of tea onto the table, glancing at Hermione carefully. Walking back towards the cupboards he pulled out a small vile of blood replenishing potion. "Here. Drink this." He said darkly handing her the unscrewed vile carefully as to not tip the liquid over.

She took the vial in her hand and tipped the liquid down; it tasted just as foul as she remembered. She handed him the empty vial, the baby in her arms began to squirm uncomfortably. "I was just wondering if it was okay if I took a shower?" She asked weakly looking up towards Severus who was leaning against the marble counter –his mug of tea clasped in his hands tightly.

"Of course." He muttered encouragingly. "Everything is at your disposal in the bathroom and I took the liberty of bringing a few of your things here last night." He continued glancing at his godson –a large smile plastered on his face making him look like a complete idiot.

"Great. Thanks." Hermione muttered taking a small sip of tea. "I'll feed him quickly and put him down." She continued as she got to her feet –mug in hand. "Thank you, Severus, for last night." She said with a smile as she walked backwards towards the doorway, nearly tripping over her eldest child who had been standing behind her. "It was nice seeing you again Draco." She said sincerely, looking at the blond Slytherin with a warm gaze.

"Same applies here Granger." He said with a smirk, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "We should get going anyway –got a busy day ahead of us don't we son?" Scorpius remained silent as he looked up towards his father, his grey orbs wide.

The two men remained silent until the Muggleborn witch disappeared from view –Rose also disappeared from view, following her mother closely. "Well then," Draco said as he got to his feet leaning down to pick up Scorpius. "That was… interesting to say the least."

"Tell me about it." Severus scowled as he placed the empty mugs into the sink. "My weeks been pretty interesting, let me tell you that." He sighed deeply as he leaned against the counter –peering out the window above the sink.

"By the way my mother sent me here to invite you for tea sometime this week –we haven't seen you in a while and I know she misses your company."

Severus scoffed loudly turning around to look at his godson. "Your mother misses my company."

"Don't ask me she's a woman after all," Draco muttered with a shrug. "But seriously, come and have tea with us. You can even bring her along if you want."

"And have your mother plan the entire wedding ceremony?" Draco chuckled. "I think not –but I might take you up on that offer." Severus continued as he guided Draco towards the lounge.

"You have to admit that Granger is bloody gorgeous," Draco whispered quietly to the older man –the walls had ears, and he wasn't in the mood to be on the opposing end of Hermione's wrath.

"Alright, time to leave." He pushed the young man towards the fireplace, ignoring the fluttering feeling in his stomach. He couldn't deny it, Hermione was bloody gorgeous; it felt weird to admit considering he had watched her grow up from a small, bucktooth bushy haired know it all to a stunning and successful woman.

"Say bye to uncle Severus," Draco said with a smirk, squeezing the young boy's body against his own.

"Bye bye uncle Severus," Scorpius said with a toothless smile, waving at the bitter old man who could only scowl at the awful nickname.

* * *

Hermione took a deep breath as she looked at her naked body through the mirror: her fingers slowly traced the soft skin of her stomach nearly forgetting the bluish bruise that had been there only twelve hours' prior, her arms were still patched. She turned to the side and looked down at her stomach –she hadn't lost all of the weight she had gained during her pregnancy but she was slowly working on it; much to Ron's bitter distaste. She tipped her head back as the mirror slowly began fogging up; her sinuses clearing from the heat emitting from the shower.

She carefully stepped underneath the scorching stream of water that pelted down upon her skin. She felt dirty, unclean and disgusting; that encounter with Malfoy had just made things worse –she could still feel his gaze on her. She knew he didn't mean her any harm whatsoever but she still felt slightly uncomfortable being around him.

She looked around the shower –curiosity got the better of her as she stretched her hand upwards, grabbing the bottle of men's shampoo that was carefully placed in the upper corner of the shower stall. She popped the cap open and closed her eyes as she brought the bottle to her nose: it felt like if she was in a forest, the musky odour of trees, mixed with the smell of parchment and old books with a faint smell of black tea leaves. He was the complete opposite of Ron. Ron smelled like candy canes, with a dash of fresh dew in the morning.

She slowly placed the bottle back where it belonged as her body began to quiver and shake uncontrollably. She placed her hands against the shower wall, the spray of water hitting her in the face forcefully, stinging the sensitive skin of her face. Tears slowly started to trail down her cheeks –mixing with the water.

Sobs racked the young woman's body, sending shivers down the length of her spine –her legs seemed paralyzed, she couldn't move. She slowly slid herself down the length of the shower wall, grabbing the face cloth with her. She quickly began scrubbing her arms forcefully as if to try and erase the bruises that patched her otherwise pale skin –her loud sobs drowned out by the sound of the shower.

She leaned her head back against the wall of the shower and closed her eyes. When had everything gone so desperately wrong? Ron, who had been such a caring boyfriend and fiancée –she had nearly died under his wraith, she couldn't live this life anymore, not only for her sake but for the sake of her children. Her brow furrowed as she thought of the man whose odor sent tingles coursing through her body; why was he helping her? It didn't make sense.

She looked down at her forearm, the skin now angry red. She aimlessly twirled her wedding band around her finger –she closed her eyes; she was so exhausted, exhausted both mentally and physically if it weren't for her children –she smiled at the thought of them– she probably would have given up long ago. She just wanted to sleep, sleep and never wake up again….

This is how Severus found her half an hour later –passed out on the floor of the shower stall, dried tear tracks etched on her face, her arms scorching red, goosebumps lined her skin, the water cold. His heart sank for the young Gryffindor witch -her courage, determination, and bravery long gone; Ronald Weasley had destroyed every little inch of self-esteem she held and had replaced it with fear, doubt, and self-hatred.

As he carried her shivering body towards the bed he couldn't help but think back to the youthful smile that had graced her lips in that picture Potter had in his office -he was going to make Weasley pay for what he had done, he would bring her back to her usual self. Even if it meant having to deal with soiled diapers, baby vomit, and child drama.

* * *

 **Happy April Fools Day errrbody! and also, a very happy birthday to Fred and George Weasley, if you are interested I will be posting a one shot, later on, today to honour their birthday so look out for that. As for now I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, please let me all know what you thought of the chapter and particularly the appearance of a certain blond haired Slytherin boy. I personally loved the interaction between Rose and Scorpius and I hope you all enjoyed it as well! Thank you to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed, I can't even begin to describe how much it means to me that you are all enjoying this story! Last little note -the story is going to be getting quite dark and Hermione is going to be very out of character in the next few chapters just a little heads up! Hopefully you all have a great day and I will talk to you guys soon!**

 **Penny x**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter VI

 **AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters.**

 **Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way. Also, dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)**

* * *

Severus sighed deeply as he looked at the Muggleborn witch who was nestled under the warm sheets; he couldn't get the image out of his head, the sneaky witch had locked the door with a powerful locking spell –too bad he was an ex-death eater and knew everything about those kinds of spells. His heart had leapt to his throat at the sight before him: her body lay limp against the wall of the shower, as the now painfully cold water stung her naked body, her forearms as red as her children's red hair, her lips blue and skin lined with goosebumps.

He had tried to avert his eyes away from her naked body, yet he couldn't ignore the twinge in his trousers, he felt awful just thinking about her in this way –she was so vulnerable and here he was taking advantage of the situation for his own greedy desires. "She's bloody married for god sakes." He muttered to himself angrily as he watched her shift in her sleep. He glanced towards the crib where Hugo was snoozing quietly –blissfully unaware of the world that surrounded him; he was only six months old. As for Rose, she was bloody brilliant, much like her mother and unlike her brother she was fully aware of the situation at hand –but then again Ronald Weasley was her father; it's not like she could just stop loving him despite the pain he was causing Hermione.

He needed to clear his head, he couldn't drown himself in self-pity. He quickly got to his feet, glancing at the bedside table; the glass of water he had placed last night remained untouched. He waved his hand over the glass, the water bubbled momentarily a thin coat of frost gleamed over the clear material. He stalked out of the room, he staggered forward, leaning against the closed bedroom door, he took a shaky breath. This was why he didn't engage in social interactions; people always ended up getting hurt, it had happened with Lily years ago, and it was happening again now with Hermione –and the presence of her two small children didn't help the situation one bit, it only reinforced whatever feelings he had for her.

"Mr. Snape?" His eyes snapped open at the sound of the young girl. She was standing in front of him, holding onto her stuffed bunny, she had strawberry jam all over her face and her hair kept falling over her blue eyes. "I'm all done." She muttered happily, giving him a toothless grin.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the young girl's appearance –in this particular moment she reminded him so very much of her father who could sit down and eat until his trouser button popped open. "How about we get you cleaned up alright?" He quickly dismissed the thought, he didn't particularly want to associate the young innocent child with her pig-headed father.

She nodded as she slowly trudged behind him, the two walked towards the loo –Rose immediately began to giggle once she took notice of her appearance in the mirror. He grabbed a face cloth from under the sink and ran it under the lukewarm water –the young girl squirmed as he pressed the cloth against her face, wiping away all traces of the sweet and sticky substance. "You need to put my hair up now." She said looking at him through the mirror.

He rolled his eyes as he peered down at the unruly mob of red hair. "And how do you expect me to do that?" He asked seriously, glaring at the young girl curiously.

"First, you have to brush it out." She said knowingly. She looked around the small room. "Do you not have a brush?"

How had he ever gotten himself in this situation –he had never had kids for this simple reason amongst many others, he didn't know what to do with them, especially girls. With a flick of his wrist, the face clothes he had been holding transfigured into a hairbrush, much to Rose's excitement. He carefully brought the brush towards the girl's hair, pulling it down softly. "Owe," Rose said with a pout as she pushed her head away from him. "Carful of the tangles."

"My apologies princess." He muttered as he carefully and slowly began to brush her frizzies away. After a long twenty minutes, later Rose's head was slightly less dishevelled than it had previously been. "Now what?" He asked, placing the brush on the edge of the sink.

"You have to braid it."

"You're pulling my leg." He muttered with a deep sigh –Rose's warm smile looked back at him in the mirror; she was not joking. "I can't braid hair."

"But it's super easy!" Rose pleaded, giving him her best puppy dog look, her bottom lip quivered. "All you have to do is separate it into three sections and then you cross one over the other."

He sighed, cursing his inability to resist that cute face. He pulled the sleeves of his shirt up –exposing the Dark Mark, that had faded significantly ever since the end of the war, his path following him wherever he went still today years after the fall of the Dark Lord. "Is that a tattoo?" He flinched as he looked down at her face –her eyes awestruck at the mark on his forearm.

He grabbed three different fistfuls of her hair, parting them in a sloppy partition. "I guess you could call it that yes." He muttered bitterly concentrating on the task at hand.

"It's kind of scary." She added, groaning as he pulled at her hair.

"Glad we both agree then."

"Why did you get it if you think it's scary." She asked curiously, looking down at her hands.

He rolled his eyes as he twisted the strands of hair over the other, loosening his grip slightly. "I don't think it's any of your business is it." He mumbled, raising his brow at her.

She slumped her shoulder in defeat. "I'm sorry."

Quiet surrounded the pair as Severus held the loose braid with the tips of his fingers. "Now what?"

"You need a hair tie, but I don't suppose you have one of those do you?" Severus shook his head. "Do your magic again." She said, clapping her hands excitedly.

He slowly brought his unoccupied hand to her ear, wordlessly summoning a hair tie which he proceeded to 'pull out' of her ear. She squealed and gleamed at him through the glass. "How did you do that!" She asked in shock –eyeing his face carefully.

"That's my secret." He whispered with a chuckle as he twirled the hair tie around the tip of the braid. "There all done."

She coaxed her head to the side and twirled around, the braid flowing behind her freely. "I guess it's going to have to do. I'm gonna go get dressed now –but I don't need your help for that cause I'm a big girl who can get dressed by herself!" She quickly dashed out of the room, leaving behind a frozen Severus who was completely shocked at what had just happened.

He was snapped out of his trance as the shrill noise of the doorbell blared through the flat –weird he thought, who would be ringing the bell, normally people just waltzed into without much warning. He walked towards the door and pulled it open, revealing none other than Harry Potter. "Where is she Severus?" The young man asked as he pushed his way into the flat –looking around like a mad man. "I know she's here –Ron insists that she's off visiting some relatives with the kids but I don't buy that bullshit." He ruffled his hair dangerously, eyeing the older man cautiously.

His frown disappeared off his face as Rose appeared –dressed in a baby blue polka dotted dress. "Uncle Harry!" She said happily as she ran down the length of the hall, practically throwing herself into his arms.

"Hey, sweetheart," Harry said with a smirk –his eyes had turned a deep shade of green as he eyed the Potion Master wearily. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm doing well. Look at my braid! Mr. Snape made it for me." She said twirling around in a circle.

"It looks great Rose," Harry mumbled awkwardly as he got to his feet. "You gonna explain to me why my goddaughter is in your flat?"

"Rose go play with your toys in the living room," Severus muttered glancing at the young girl, his voice low, his throat dry and raspy.

"But I wanna stay with you and Uncle Harry." She said sadly, stomping her little foot onto the ground.

"Severus is right, sweetheart. Go play with your toys." Rose rolled her eyes as she shuffled away from the two men, trudging her feet loudly against the hardwood flooring. Harry watched his goddaughter disappear from view before turning his body to look at Severus. "Where is Hermione, Severus," Harry said accusingly, pointing his index finger at the older man's chest.

"She's resting at the moment," Severus said slowly, slapping Harry's hand away from his chest.

"Resting from what –it's nearly twelve." Harry's brow creased in confusion. "Hermione never sleeps in."

"Well if you would like to know, I found her passed out in the shower about an hour ago."

"What did you do to her?"

Severus scoffed loudly. "Of course, I would have had to do something to cause it." He said slowly.

"She wouldn't voluntarily be here; you must have cursed her or something." Harry's chest rose and fell in quick breaths –his hands balling into fists at his side.

"Leave him alone Harry." Both men turned around at the sound of Hermione's voice. She slowly made her way down the hallway, holding on to a squirming Hugo. She hugged the wall almost as if she didn't trust her balance.

Severus quickly rushed towards her and grabbed her arm –something that didn't go unnoticed by Harry. "Mione." Harry staggered backwards at the sheer coldness in her voice.

"Severus did not drug me, or curse me in any way. He saved me." She muttered sadly, looking at her best friend through the curtain of hair that shielded her face. She took a deep breath as she walked towards him slowly –shifting Hugo's weight in her arms with each step she took.

"Mione I don't understand," Harry said sadly, as he met her halfway, grabbing her petite frame in his arms.

Hermione fell against his chest, her head nestled in the crook of his neck. "Harry." She mumbled sadly as her entire body began to shake.

Harry froze as he squeezed her body towards his –just enough to not make Hugo uncomfortable between them, he looked over Hermione's head, Severus was now leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. "Just come home, Hermione. Please." Harry whispered in her ear as he rubbed her back in comfort –something that just made her sob louder.

"I can't." She muttered her breathing hollow and laboured as she clutched onto him.

Severus slowly walked towards the pair, and carefully extracted the young red headed baby out of his mother's arms –Harry couldn't help but marvel at the careful nature in which Severus was tending to the baby.

Hermione immediately wrapped both arms around his neck, sobbing wholeheartedly against the warm skin of his neck. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Harry asked, kissing her damp hair lovingly. "You have no reason to be sorry." Harry opened his eyes as he looked towards the end of the hallway where Severus had disappeared seconds earlier. Why was Severus Snape, ex-Death Eater suddenly so caring towards his best friend? Why was Hermione apologising? It didn't make sense –unless…. "Are you sleeping with him?"

Hermione froze in his arms, her cries immediately died in her throat. She pulled back from his embrace, her eyes bloodshot and puffy. "Oh of course. It always about me doing something wrong isn't it." She accused loudly, stepping back from him.

"I'm just trying to understand Hermione. Why else would Severus willingly take care of your children? He's an ex-Death Eater, what else am I suppose to think?" He retaliated back.

"There's a difference between understanding and denying it Harry," Hermione said, her voice loud and dangerous. "I am not sleeping with Severus." She said pointedly. "I know that Severus came to see you in your office, Ron told me so before nearly beating me to death." Her whole body was now shaking; her eyes wide in fury.

Harry flinched.

"I sent Rose through the floo to fetch him –luckily for me he had forgotten to close the network, cause if he had I might have bled to death on the floor of my living room, with Rose a few steps away and Hugo sobbing his little heart out upstairs." She scoffed loudly as he remained silent. "You know I'm not even surprised at this point."

"Surprised by what Hermione!" Harry bellowed loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Ron's friendship was always more important to you and this is proof of that," Hermione said sadly, her voice now low and shaky –silent tears streamed down her cheeks.

"That's not true and you know it." Harry snapped –she slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"Then why won't you believe me?" She asked, looking towards him sadly. She pulled up the sleeves of her shirt up, exposing the various bruises on her forearms. "Is this proof enough?"

Harry walked forward and grabbed her arms gently, tracing the bruises with the tip of his pointer finger. "Hermione." Her name tumbled out of his lips.

"Do you wanna see my memories? Severus's memories or better yet Rose's memories?" She pleaded, grabbing his hands in hers attempting to tug him closer to her.

He dropped her arms and took a step back. "I should go."

She closed her eyes, biting her bottom lip. "Just don't tell Ron where I am. Please. That's all I'm asking."

"I won't." He walked towards the door of the flat, his hand grabbed the handle –he paused. "I love you, Hermione," Harry mumbled sadly, glancing back over his shoulder –Hermione remained still, looking down at the ground. "Just please don't do anything you'll regret."

And with that he left the flat, leaving Hermione standing still as tears coursed down her cheeks, her bruised arms still visible to the world around her. Her throat felt tight, almost as if it was closing in on itself; preventing her from taking the required breath she needed. Her legs shook violently under the weight of her body and if it wouldn't have been for the strong arms that wrapped around her waist she would have plummeted to the ground.

"It's okay. You're okay." His soft voice whispered in her ear as he pulled her up. "Come on." She twisted her body in his grasp and collapsed against his chest, she immediately wrapped her arms around his waist. He gingerly brought his hand towards her hair, running it through the soft and damp tresses. "I'm right here." She sobbed, there was no end to her sobbing.

"Please don't leave me." She mumbled against the material of his shirt.

His heart dropped as he squeezed her petite form closer to his body –he closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head lovingly. "I'm not going anywhere." He promised –his voice was raspy and shaky; something that was quite unusual for him.

"Thank you." She whispered quietly once her sobs died down. She pulled back from the embrace and looked up at his face. She carefully brought her hand up to touch his face, the tips of her fingers tracing the edge of his jawline. "Thank you so much." She repeated, giving him a small smile. She cupped his cheek, running the pad of her thumb against the cleanly shaven skin.

He instinctively leant into her embrace –loving the feeling of her hands on him. His breath caught in his throat as she stepped up on her tippy toes, he closed his eyes as her lips came in contact with his other cheek –her lips so warm against his skin. "How about some tea?" He found himself muttering once the soles of her feet touched the hardwood flooring.

"Tea would be great." She whispered with a warm smile –desperately trying to ignore the fluttering feeling inside her tummy; she couldn't be feeling this way, she looked down at her wedding ring, Harry's wise words resonating in her head 'Don't do anything you'll regret.'

She wasn't going to do anything regretful, despite the rocky state of her marriage she wouldn't stoop as low as to cheat -she couldn't.

Unknowingly to her, Severus was combatting similar feelings. He looked down at the Muggleborn witch, her smile sincere and honest for the first time since she had gotten here. He groaned to himself as he thought back to Potter's bitter accusation 'Are you sleeping with him?'

No, they were not sleeping together, he wouldn't allow himself to express these feelings towards her -he couldn't.

* * *

 **I know don't kill me, Harry is being a complete bum face and I know it. I promise though he will come around sooner or later and he will feel like utter shit for treating her this way. Happy to know you all enjoyed the Rose and Scorpius interaction in the previous chapter, the Malfoy's will definitely come back in the story so no worries there! Also Severus and Hermione relationship development in the works hopefully you are all as excited as I am! Thank you to every single one of you guys for following, favoriting and reviewing! I am super excited about all the positive responses I have been getting and please keep reviewing by now you should all know how reviews fuel my desire to write! Last note this story is almost at 200 follows which is completely crazy, I love you all so much and I'll see you soon!**

 **Penny x**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

 **AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters.**

 **Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way. Also, dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)**

 **Mentions of rape in the chapter so if you are sensitive to such subjects I'll leave a note where it begins –it's very brief but better be safe then sorry!**

* * *

" The food was great mum." Ron mumbled as he slammed his fork down on the table, he leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes. Molly smiled as she looked around the table –she was a proud mother that was for sure and a proud grandmother as well. Over the years, the Weasley dining room table had been expanded in order to fill the abundance of grandchildren that kept popping out. She glanced at the two unoccupied seats around Ron –seats specially reserved for Hermione and Rose.

Harry's hand clenched around his glass of water as he observed his best friend from across the table –Ginny's hand rubbed his knee lovingly. "So Ron where is Hermione exactly?" He muttered as he took a sip of water.

"Yes Ron, where is our dear Hermione?" Molly asked curiously. "I know James was really disappointed that Rose and Hugo weren't gonna be here." She continued as she glanced towards the living room where James was playing with the other children.

"Oh, she's visiting some distance relatives." Ron blurted quickly with a small smile. "She should be back in a few days."

Nobody seemed to pose many questions following Ron's response.

Harry scoffed loudly, catching the attention of Ron who glanced towards him. "Sorry, had something in my throat." He said, clapping his chest lightly. What he didn't understand was why Ron was lying to everybody about Hermione's whereabouts –unless he really believed she was visiting some distant relatives. The even bigger question was what had driven Hermione into Severus's arms? It was all forming in his mind now and it made so much sense come to think of it: the bruises on her arms, Ron's lack of knowledge for his wife and children's whereabouts, the bone mending potion Severus had claimed she had purchased. If Ron really was abusing Hermione the biggest question ever was why?

"I should get going," Ron said as he shuffled to his feet.

Harry got to his feet as well. "I'll walk you out, I need a breath of fresh air after all that food." He said with a smile as he leaned down to kiss Ginny's cheek. "Food was great Molly as usual."

"Glad you boys enjoyed it," Molly said with a smile as she stood up from her place at the table, walking towards her youngest son she pulled him in her arms lovingly. "Hopefully, Hermione will be here for the next family dinner." She continued as she pulled away from the embrace.

"Yes, she will no worries." Harry raised his brow as he looked towards his best friend –his voice dark and almost menacing. He quickly glanced around the room; nobody seemed to notice the harsh tone of voice. This sent blaring alarms ring through Harry's head –this didn't sound like Ron at all.

After a few more goodbyes the two friends walked out the door in tow, silent engulfing them. "Hey, are you alright?" Harry said slowly, stuffing his shaking hands in his pockets. He couldn't help but feel incredibly nervous; yes, he was a trained Aurore but as a wise old man once told him 'It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.'

"Oh I'm great, why do you ask?" Ron asked curiously, glancing over at his friend.

"I'm just worried about you. That's all." Harry said through clenched teeth. "Like you know you can tell me anything right?"

"Everything's alright. Don't worry so much about it." Ron continued clapping Harry on the back.

"What about Hermione? Have you two been fighting again?"

"Look, Harry, I know you care about us but everything is fine alright? Hermione is with the kids safe and sound visiting family. Alright? She'll be back in a few days –now if you'll excuse me I'm tired and I have to head to work early tomorrow." Ron spat bitterly, eyeing the black haired man who had been his best friend since the tender age of eleven.

He disapparated before Harry's very eyes, leaving the air thick with tension. Harry growled loudly as he kicked a pebble, sending it flying across the front lawn of the Burrow. Harry had always hated being stuck in the middle –even before Hermione and Ron had begun dating he was left feeling this way but this was different. Both parties weren't their usual selves: Ron was angry and bitter while Hermione seemed weak, frail and sad. Something was going on and it was putting everything in jeopardy; he had to figure things out even if it meant losing one of his best friends in the process.

* * *

Hermione smiled as she turned the knob of the burner down, the fresh smell of tomatoes and basil filling the kitchen of the flat. She wanted to thank Severus one way or another for taking care of her like he had been doing for the past few days –cooking him dinner seemed the way to go. She tried to push the thoughts of Harry out of her head if he wasn't going to help her then so be it. She shook her head as her thoughts slowly began drifting towards the Weasley family, the people who had welcomed her with open arms into their home, the people who had accepted her as their own at the tender age of twelve, the people who had over time become the only family she truly had. Not only were they her family, but they were also her children's only link with the wizarding world: their grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins.

She blinked back tears as she poured the cooked pasta into the bubbling cauldron; it felt like her heart was splitting in two –part of her wanted nothing more than to remain here with Severus, where she knew she would be safe. Her heart pounded quickly at the thought of the snarky Potions Master –who was currently teaching her daughter the basics of potions in his own personal laboratory. She would have merely laughed if anyone had told her that she would end up falling in love with the man –falling in love might have been a big word to use at the time but she definitely knew deep in her heart that it was an eventual possibility.

She shivered as she thought back to the warm and comforting way he had embraced her the day before; holding her so close she could hear the steady beating of his heart as sobs wracked through her small body. She had breathed him in, enjoying the musky odor radiating off his strong body, his lips had grazed the top of her hair and his hands cool against her warm skin.

She placed three bowls onto the kitchen table –her stomach doing flips; hopefully, he would enjoy dinner. Ron had always loved her food –no matter how angry or frustrated with her he was. Her smile faltered as she thought of her husband; the other part of her wanted nothing more than to go back home and try to work things out with him, but deep down she knew that her marriage was never going to be the same. How was she supposed to go back to the unloving husband when she felt so loved and cared for under Severus's care?

She just felt so completely and utterly alone, her spite with Harry had furthermore determined that. Everything she thought she knew about her best friends had turned out to be false and it rendered her completely heartbroken. All those years of friendship turned to dust –she had stuck with him through thick and thieves; even when Ron had ditched during their search for the Horcruxes she had stayed with him. Clearly that didn't mean much to him. The one time she had needed his support and he hadn't helped her out –something she wasn't about to let go.

She walked out of the kitchen, following her daughter's bubbly laughter –which led her to the laboratory, the sight before her causing her heart to melt into a puddle. He was currently working on a very basic dreamless sleep potion; Rose was standing on a little stool next to him which allowed her to observe his every movement closely. "What's that?" She asked, pointing towards the microscopic bat wings that tumbled into the cauldron.

"Those are bat wings." He muttered coolly, pointing towards the cauldron. "Now stir, four times counter clockwise. Rose nodded excitedly, as she slowly began stirring the potion with his precise instructions in mind. She giggled quietly as she observed his handsome face –his lips were pursed and his brow creased as he observed her daughter's movements; it had been the same face he had given her during the many Potion classes during her stay at Hogwarts. "What is so amusing Mrs. Granger?" She whipped her head up at the mention of her maiden name –her throat seemed to close upon itself, the words unable to leave her mouth, her stomach now doing full fledge gymnastics.

"Dinner is um… getting cold." She muttered –having no idea why she felt so nervous; she felt like a school girl again, this particular moment mirroring the time when Viktor had asked her to the ball back during her fourth year. "Go wash your hands sweetheart." She continued as she looked towards Rose.

"But mummy. We aren't done the potion." She pouted sadly as she jumped off the stool. She looked up towards Severus –who gave her a stern look; she immediately dashed out of the room, not looking back.

"How is it that you have more authority over my own daughter," Hermione muttered with a small smile as Severus casually strode towards her, her breath hitched in her throat as his fingertips grazed her arm.

"I'm pretty sure you remember your school years Mrs. Granger? It was my job after all." He whispered, smiling at her awed face. He walked swiftly by her, leaving her alone in the laboratory; his breath smelled like spearmint toothpaste and felt so refreshing. She closed her eyes as she leaned against the door frame –she couldn't remember the last time she had felt so sexually aroused. "Dinner's getting cold." Her eyes snapped open at the sound of his cool voice.

"Get yourself together Hermione." She muttered to herself, glancing at her wedding ring. "You have to stop thinking about this." She continued as she slowly trudged towards the kitchen.

Rose and Severus were already sitting down; Rose slurped her spaghetti loudly –something that made Severus sneer in disgust. "Rose that's not the proper way to eat." He reprimanded as he grabbed his utensils in both hands.

"Sorry." She muttered, her mouth full of food, sauce covered the entire bottom portion of her face.

"I wonder where she gets her eating habits from," Severus muttered taking a small bit of pasta –he groaned happily as the warm food slid down his throat.

Hermione giggled nervously as she took a seat across from Severus. "I wonder who." She looked towards Rose who was now eating at a much slower pace, trying to mimic Severus. "I take it you're enjoying to food."

"I haven't had such a great meal since Hogwarts." He said, giving her a small smile across the table. "Thank you, Hermione."

They seemed so far apart –it felt like a whole ocean was between them. "I'm glad you enjoy it." She said shyly as she too took a bite of the food in front of her. The trio ate in silent –partially that is seeing as Rose made quite the noise as she ate.

"I'm done, mummy!" Rose said as she leaned back against her chair, placing her small hands on her tummy. "I'm full."

Both Severus and Hermione looked over at the young girl whose eyes closed on their own –they both smiled as she let out a big yawn, her blue eyes filling with tears. "I think somebody is getting sleepy," Hermione said as she stood up from the table and grabbed the now three empty bowls, placing them in the sink she turned to look back at her daughter. "Go wash your hands and get your jammies on okay?"

Rose slipped off the chair and slowly made her way out of the kitchen, leaving Severus and Hermione alone for the second time that night. Hermione stood next to the sink, her fingers tapping against the cool marble counter –waiting; hoping for him to say something, anything.

"How about I get out a bottle of wine while you go put the young princess to bed?" He offered as he got out of his seat, he slowly made his way towards the cupboard above the refrigerator. "Red sound good with you?"

She nodded with a smile. "I'll just have to feed Hugo before hand but yes I do love myself a good red." She happily skipped out of the kitchen leaving a very emotionally confused Severus. He pulled the bottle out of the cupboard and chuckled –Albus had given him this bottle when he had first become head of house at Hogwarts; a memory that was so distinctly clear in his head despite it begin decades old.

Decades-old –he was over two decades older than her. He sighed as he placed the bottle on the counter. What was he doing with his life? Prancing onto this youthful woman who was married and who had two children, a woman he had taught for six consecutive years, a woman he had first known as a child, as his student. He felt completely repulsed by the way his body was betraying him –she was just so beautiful, her lips so plump and welcoming, her skin so soft and warm, her breast so full and… "Stop it." He murmured to himself, slamming his open palm against the counter. He stifled a groan as he thought back to the softness of her hair, her sweet smelling hair "strawberries, and cream." He muttered shakily as he grabbed the bottle open from the utensil drawer. "Fucking hell." He was so deep in –so deep that he wasn't sure if he would ever surface again.

* * *

"Mummy?" Rose asked as she burrowed herself into the covers. She looked up towards Hermione who was sitting next to her on the bed. "Are we going to be staying here forever?"

Hermione froze at her daughter's question. "Would you mind staying here forever?" Hermione knew it wasn't fair to be putting her daughter in this situation –but her four-year-olds input was important.

"I wouldn't mind. But I do miss Daddy and Uncle Harry and James and Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle George and…" She continued listing off the various members of the family –something that pained Hermione deeply; she was happy that Rose loved Severus so much, but seeing as they would normally see their immediate family every other day she knew it was a hard situation for Rose.

"But you like Severus right?"

"Of course! He's great! He's teaching me how to brew potions and he braids my hair and he's pretty funny." Rose said with a smile as she grabbed Hermione's hand. "And he makes you happy! That's why I like him so much."

Hermione fought back tears as she listened to her daughter; this made her situation just as more complex as it already was. Rose knew and understood the position she was in, she saw greatness in both Severus and Ronald –her heart was beating out of her chest. She leaned down and kissed her daughters head lovingly. "Good night sweetheart." She muttered sweetly, running her hand through her daughter's hair. "I love you so much, and I never ever want you to forget it okay?"

Rose nodded sleepily and within moments she was fast asleep, snoozing quietly as she clutched onto her stuffed bunny. Hermione smiled sadly as she quietly got up from her position, checking on her sleeping son one last time before leaving the room.

She took a deep breath, stopping before the archway that led to the kitchen "don't screw things up." She whispered to herself as she slowly walked into the kitchen –she froze, Severus was sitting back down at the table, his head burrowed in his crossed arms and he was mumbling to himself. "Severus?"

His head snapped up at the sound of her voice. "Rose is sleeping?" He coughed nervously as he leaned back against the chair, smoothing out the crinkles in his black muggle shirt. Hermione absolutely loved when he wore muggle clothing, there was something about it that made her tingle in all sorts of different ways.

"Yes, she passed out almost immediately." She stuttered as she took a seat in the chair next to him.

"Here you go." He said handing her a glass of wine –she smiled politely before taking a small sip. "Thank you for dinner."

She blushed. "It's nothing." She said quickly, taking another sip of wine.

"I have a question for you. And if you don't feel comfortable answering then feel free to say so." He said darkly, eyeing her carefully. "When did the abuse start?"

She sighed deeply, looking down at her shaking hands –she had never told about this to anybody. "I – "

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to Hermione." He reassured, grabbing her small hand in his much larger one, she glanced up towards his face –a soft and comforting smile grazed his lips.

"No, it's alright. It's just I've never told this to anybody and …" She closed her eyes shut, pushing the tears back. "I wouldn't know where to begin."

He sighed, his heart aching for the young woman before him –she was in so much pain, that much was evident by the simple look on her face and all he wanted to do was to grab her into his arms and just hold her –consoling her as she cried. "How about you show me?"

"You want to use legimency on me?"

"Only if you want –remember I'm not forcing you."

She slowly nodded –taking a shaky breath. "I trust you."

"And feel free to block my access to anything you want alright?" He said as he scooted his chair closer to hers. It had been ages since he had performed legimency on anybody –he needed her to know that she could trust him and that he wouldn't cross any boundaries she would set up for him. His hands shook as he carefully brought them up to her face –giving her a comforting smile he slowly placed both hands against her temple. "Just close your eyes and open your mind." He said softly as he watched the muscles of her face relax a little bit. "If you ever want to stop just let me know okay?"

She nodded beneath his touch –her breathing now steady and even. He, in turn, closed his eyes –his stomach doing flips, he licked his dry lips and focused on the young woman's mind that was splayed open to him like a book –he took a deep breath and then dived in.

* * *

 _Hermione paced around the small room, her nails caught between her teeth. She glanced towards the counter where a small white stick lay still upon the surface. "Come on." She muttered breathlessly as she glanced down at her watch. A loud blaring alarm sounded throughout the room, she immediately raced towards the counter –two pink bars were staring right back at her; she was pregnant._

* * *

" _Ron!" The young Muggleborn witch threw herself into her husband's open arms. "This is it." Ron's brow creased in confusion as he pulled away from the embrace, leaning down he kissed her chapped lips lovingly._

" _What's wrong Mione?" He asked worriedly as the two walked towards the kitchen –his arm wrapped around her waist._

" _I'm pregnant." She said with a smile –Ron froze and slowly turned to look towards her. "For real."_

" _You're not pulling my leg are you?" He asked seriously –his smile getting brighter and brighter as Hermione shook her head. His hands fell to her stomach. "You're really pregnant?"_

" _Yea. I have my first appointment on Monday." Husband and wife looked at each other lovingly –equal smiles of happiness grazed their lips._

" _I can't believe it," Ron said, shaking his head. "We're gonna be parents." He pulled her into his arms, squeezing her tightly. "I love you so much Mione." He muttered as he kissed the top of her head._

" _I love you too Ron."_

* * *

 _Hermione was lying in the bed, the soft skin of her stomach exposed to the healer who stood by her side. Ron was holding onto her hand tightly –his blue eyes shone brightly as the duo looked at the screen in awe. A soft thumping echoed through the room –their baby was alive, it's heartbeat strong. "Are you two interested in finding out the sex of the baby?" The healer asked as she continued waving her wand over Hermione's stomach._

 _Hermione and Ron looked at each other briefly before glancing back towards the healer –they both nodded, wide smiles on their faces. "It looks like you two will be the happy parents of a healthy baby boy in seven months."_

" _A boy? We're having a boy?" Ron asked incredibly._

" _A boy yes."_

 _"We're going to have our own Quidditch player," Ron said happily as he leaned down to kiss Hermione._

 _She merely rolled her eyes as the soft heartbeat of their son calmed her –she was going to be a mother, she was going to have a son._

* * *

 _Hermione smiled happily as she drummed her fingers against her probing stomach –at six months pregnant she was already huge –so huge that she often found herself struggling at everyday tasks; climbing the stairs was one example._

 _She sighed as she walked towards the staircase –her hand resting on the banister. She slowly began trudging down the stairs, taking it super slowly, one step at a time. She looked down at her feet, frowning at the sight before her –her bulging stomach the only thing in view, nothing else._

 _Time seemed to stop as her foot missed a step and she came crumbling down the rest of the staircase, landing on the bottom of the landing loudly. She moaned loudly, her hands immediately coming to rest on her large stomach –pain began shooting through her small figure, tears began coursing down her cheeks. "No." She muttered as she attempted to get to her feet. The pain in both her abdomen and ankle stopping her from doing so._

" _Hermione!" Ron came running down the stairs. "Are you okay sweetheart?"_

 _Hermione shook her head furiously, grabbing onto Ron's shoulder as he hoisted her to her feet. "Something's wrong with the baby." She whispered painfully, doubling over as the shooting pains coursed through her entire body._

* * *

 _The pair sat quietly in the comfort of their bedroom, their backs facing each other; Hermione's loud sobbing echoed through the bedroom. Ron rolled his eyes before turning around to look at her frail and petite body that shook violently next to him. "This is all your fault you know." He muttered bitterly._

 _Hermione turned around to look at him –he looked enraged, his usually warm eyes filled with hatred. "I fell down the stairs, Ron." She explained calmly._

" _You weren't ready to have a child were you? So you stooped as low as to kill our child to get out of it." He spat furiously, running his hands through his red hair._

" _Are you insane!" She screamed loudly. "I wanted this baby Ronald. Why would I have been sobbing my life out every single night if I didn't? It was an accident, I did not in any way purposefully throw myself down the stairs to kill our unborn child!"_

 _A sharp cracking noise filled the room as his open palm came into contact with her cheek. They both froze, Hermione's cheek slowly turned a dark shade of red, her tears leaving a burning path down her stinging skin. "Get out." She whispered harshly._

" _I'm sorry," Ron said sadly, bringing his hand towards her cheek –she flinched as his hand came in contact with her cheek. "I'm so sorry."_

" _Get out." She mumbled again, pushing his hand away from her face. "GET OUT!" She yelled loudly pushing him off the bed._

 _He didn't object and simply trudged out of the room –his head bowed down in shame as the door slammed shut behind him._

 _Hermione slowly lowered herself down onto the mattress, her cheek burning against the warm sheets. Her entire body was shaking –she wanted to cry, to yell, but no sound came out._

* * *

" _How are you feeling sweetheart?" Molly asked as she pulled Hermione into a warm hug. Hermione melted into the older woman's embrace._

" _I'm alright. It's been hard you know." Hermione said sadly as the two pulled back from the hug. "I think Ron is taking it really badly."_

" _It's always hard losing a child, but he'll come around," Molly said encouragingly as she placed a warm cup of tea in front of her daughter in law. "Have you guys discussed the possibility of trying to conceive again?"_

" _We've talked about it and the healers have given us the clear." Hermione sighed as she took a sip of the burning liquid._

" _That's great news. I'm sure everything is going to alright. And whatever Ron might be telling you this is not your fault okay? You fell it happens to the best of us." Hermione smiled up at Molly, happy of the support she was receiving –she had initially been distraught over Molly's input on the situation but now she was glad that she had accepted her invitation for tea._

* * *

 **(Warning NonConcensual Sex Ahead)**

" _Please Hermione. I need you."_

" _I don't think this is a good idea, Ron. You're drunk." Hermione said forcefully as she attempted to push him away from her –his lips were on her neck, his hands had snaked its way up her shirt and he was groping her through the material of her bra._

" _The Doctors told us we could start trying again Mione." He whined as he began leaving slobbery kisses down her neck. She squirmed uncomfortably –his breath reeked and his hands were clumsily running across her skin. She just wanted to scream, kick, punch, push him away with all her might. "Please?"_

 _She closed her eyes as she felt his hands at the button of her jeans –he tugged at the button for a few seconds, his intoxicating state making the task so much more difficult than it usually would. He proceeded to roughly shove his large hands down the front of her pants –she stifled a groan as his clumsy fingers came into contact with the little bundle of nerves hidden between her clenched legs. "You know you want it –you're soaked." He muttered forcing her legs open._

 _She bit back tears –her body was betraying her and in the worst way possible, maybe she was wet down there but that sure as hell didn't mean she wanted this. "Get off Ron. Please." She begged as fat tears rolled down her cheeks, she batted her fists against his chest, desperately trying to pry him away from her. "Please." She mumbled, but he was having none of it. She couldn't possibly muster enough force to push him off of her so instead she stopped struggling and allowed him to do whatever he wanted with her body…_

* * *

Severus's eyes snapped open as her walls immediately built around him –sending him flying out of his chair. He immediately glanced up towards Hermione whose eyes were tightly closed shut, her body rocking back and forth in her seat. "I'm sorry." She bawled loudly.

He quickly got to his feet and pulled Hermione into his embrace, shushing her, running his hand through her long locks. "It's okay. I'm glad you stopped me when you did." He said sincerely, nuzzling his nose into her hair. He should have known this would end badly, he shouldn't have pushed her like this. "I'm so sorry Hermione." He muttered sadly, crushing her petite body to his –not wanting to let go.

"Don't be sorry." She mumbled, her voice muffled due to the soft black material covering her mouth. "Please don't be sorry."

"If I would have known I wouldn't have asked."

"It's alright. I've done my mourning." She said with a sad smile, pulling back from the embrace. "So now you know."

"I know you wouldn't have purposefully thrown yourself down the stairs." He said, looking down at her sad brown eyes, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

"He was so small. He only weighed about 2lbs." She said breathlessly, closing her eyes at the painful memory.

"You got to hold him?" She nodded, placing her head back against his chest she sighed loudly. "I'm so sorry Hermione." He continued. He now felt like complete crap.

"Please don't feel bad." She said pulling her head back to look at him. "You have nothing to feel sorry for." She slowly brought her hand up to cup his cheek. "I've never felt so loved and cared for then during these last few days in your company, you saw some of the worst moments in my life."

He seemed frozen beneath her touch –paralyzed as she rubbed his cheek with her warm hand. She licked her lips, her eyes gazing down at his own lips. "Please tell me you don't want this." He begged, his hands sliding down her sides, he grabbed her hips and pulled her desperately closer to him –wanting, needing to feel as close to her as possible. "Tell me to stop. Please, I beg you." He muttered, closing his eyes –wanting nothing more than to push her against the table and have his naughty way with her.

"What if I don't want you to stop?" She whispered, painfully slowly.

Next thing she knew his lips were on hers –yup she was definitely going to regret this but right now she wanted nothing more than to be in his arm.

* * *

 **First of all, I want to say a huge thank you to all twenty-three reviewers for the last chapter! I was absolutely blown away by all the amazing responses I got and I can only hope that you are all gonna leave a nice review for this chapter as well because this fanfiction almost has 100 reviews which is beyond amazing. Also, huge thank you to everyone who has followed and favourited (we've now hit over 200 follows) which again is incredible. To thank you all I hope you thoroughly enjoyed this huge chapter that is almost double in length! And some of you may think that this is going way to quickly and that Hermione shouldn't be enacting on these particular feelings she has towards Severus but believe me this does not mean they are getting together, this story is only roughly half complete let's not forget! So once again please please please review -let's get this story to over 100 reviews! I love you all so much and thank you all for the countless amount of support and I will see you all soon!**

 **Special thanks to D.S for leaving that great review! I'm so glad this story decided to make you want to leave a review! Please feel free to leave more!**

 **Penny x**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII**

 **AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters.**

 **Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way. Also, dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)**

 **Song Recommendation: Beating Heart by Ellie Goulding**

* * *

Sparks flew as their lips connected for the very first time, jolts of electricity traversed his body, from the very tips of his fingers all the way down to his toes. He was on fire, her lips against his, his hands on her skin. "Severus." She mumbled against his lips, pulling his hair back –he groaned at the immediate loss of contact.

"What is it?" He pressed nervously, his eyes scanning her face for any sense of regret, fear or better yet disgust –her eyes instead shone brightly and her lips were slightly swollen.

She leaned up high on her tippy toes and pressed a soft and gentle kiss against the angry scar on his neck. "I just want to know what it feels like."

"What what feels like?" He asked looking down at her face as she nestled her head in the crook of his neck. He frowned as her body began to tremble like a leaf in his embrace. He closed his eyes and rested his chin atop her head, rubbing soothing circles on her back. He shivered as she continued to pepper soft kisses on his neck

"I just wanna know what it feels like to be loved." She openly sobbed into the material of his shirt –her whole body quivered beneath his touch.

Without giving it much thought he leaned down and grabbed her from underneath her thighs, pulling her in his strong arms –her legs immediately wrapped themselves around his waist, her arms around his neck. She took a deep breath, threading her fingers through his dark locks, massaging his head with the tips of her fingers –she tilted his head back until their eyes met. Neither spoke as her lips slowly descended onto his once more –the beating of her heart pounding through her head as she pushed her tongue past his closed lips.

He slowly made his way out of the kitchen towards his bedroom –pausing before the closed door he pulled his lips away from hers, taking the time to observe her face: her cheeks were flushed, her dark brown eyes swam with tears, her bottom lip caught between her lips. "Oh, Hermione." He muttered sadly as the door clicked open. He marched through the doorway –the door closing behind them swiftly. He slowly walked towards the edge of the bed and carefully placed her upon the soft duvet –taking a moment to bask in her beauty as she laid sprawled on his bed, her brown tresses creating a halo around her head. "You're so beautiful." He whispered darkly.

"Please, Severus." She mumbled sadly as she grabbed his hand, pulling him down to her. He collapsed against her petite body, their faces mere inches away from each other; he kissed each flushed cheek lovingly before rolling off her body, laying himself down next to her. She was still hurting, and despite the incredible tightness in his trousers, he had to be the rational one. "I need you." She begged as she rolled on top of him, one leg on each side of his body –he gasped as she teasingly rubbed herself against him. Her nimble fingers immediately began undoing the buttons of his shirt, exposing his scarred chest one button at a time.

"Hermione you have to stop." He muttered breathlessly as her nails raked down his chest.

"But you want this I know you do." She muttered as she cupped his bulge through his trousers –a guttural moan escaped his lips as his lids fluttered shut. "I can make you feel better."

His eyes snapped open as he felt her hands at his belt buckle, he quickly grabbed her hips, his fingers molding into her skin and before she could protest he had flipped them around: she was now on her back and he was over her, pinning her down softly. "Hermione." He said her name loudly. "Hermione stop. You do not need to make me feel better." He explained delicately.

Hermione looked up at the man above her –the sharp features of his face came into focus. His large hands pinning her wrists above her head. "But…"

"No buts. I am not Ronald. I will never force you into doing something you don't want to do." He muttered sadly as a lone tear rolled down her cheek. "You have no idea how much I want this –but we can't. You're still married, your two kids are in the bedroom next door, but the most important reason to not do this is simply that you aren't ready."

Her bottom lip began to tremble, as she closed her eyes tightly shut. "I'm sorry." She whispered quietly, not wanting to look at his face –he was disappointed, she could hear it in his voice, but he was right in every single way. Kissing him had been explosive and she wanted nothing more then to push her lips against his once more; however, she knew that it wasn't right, not only for Ron, her kids and herself but also for Severus. She was placing him in this situation and it was totally and utterly unfair.

"Please don't be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for, I'm the one who initiated it." He said as his fingertips slowly began trailing down the length of her arms, leaving goosebumps in its wake. "I clearly wasn't being rational."

He slowly rolled off of her body, she scooted to the side allowing him to lay down next to her. "Can I ask you a favor." She whispered quietly, her gaze transfixed on the ceiling fan above them.

"You can ask me anything." He responded, turning his head in order to get a better closer look at her face.

She, in turn, turned her head to look at him. "Can you hold me? Ron was never much into cuddling." His warm eyes bore into her own, a small smile formed on his face. "You don't have too if you don't want too." She babbled nervously as she turned her head back to look at the ceiling fan.

He had never been into cuddling himself, perhaps it was because he had never felt the desire to cuddle with anybody had shared a bed with, but this was different –she looked so sad and lost, she needed a strong hold to keep her warm. "Come here." He mumbled as his hands found her skin.

She smiled to herself as she scooted into his embrace. She sighed in content as she placed her head on his chest, she slowly brought her finger up to his chest –which was still in plain view. He sighed happily as she began mapping out the various scars that outlined his chest with the tip of her pointer finger. "Thank you for everything Severus." She whispered quietly as she snuggled closer to him –her eyes fluttered closed as she dug herself into his side.

He didn't respond, instead, he simply leaned down and kissed her forehead.

She smiled at the tender gesture –wishing deep down that there was a way out, but she knew that there wasn't. She wished that she could just remain here, in the warmth comfort of his arms, but he was right, she was still married and she had to think of her children –they came first. She lifted her head off his chest as his breathing steadied. "Oh, Severus." She whispered as she pushed a stray dark lock away from his face. "I'm so sorry." She mumbled sadly as she rested her head back upon his chest –she closed her eyes as sleep overtook her; not one nightmare plagued her sleep that night; not one nightmare plagued his sleep either. For once in a long time, Severus was at peace, he had something worth fighting for –he would help her in every way possible and then he would give her the world.

* * *

The sunlight shone down brightly upon the sleeping man –he groaned as he buried his head into his pillow. He slowly stretched his fingertips across the sheets, looking for that warm skin that had been pressed against his own skin the whole night. He lifted his head off the pillow in a frenzy –she wasn't lying next to him. He quickly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he glanced around the room: looking for any sign of the young Muggleborn witch.

His eyes landed on a lone piece of paper that had been placed on the dresser, his heart plummeted to his stomach as he shuffled out of bed, ignoring the sore muscles of his back. He grabbed the piece of paper in both hands his heart clenching painfully. It was a drawing –drawn by none other than Rose, something made evident by her neatly printed name in the corner of the page. In the middle of the drawing were three figures and a small blob: one of the figures had jet black shoulder length hair, the second one had long brown hair and the final figure who was much smaller than the other ones had flaming red hair.

Tears pricked the corner of his eyes as he dashed out of the room, still holding the drawing in his clenched hand. "Hermione!" He yelled loudly as he burst into the guest bedroom –the room she had occupied for the past few days. The baby blue crib was gone, so was all traces that this room had been occupied by Hermione and her two children. The bed was neatly made –seemingly having been untouched for days. She was gone.

He staggered backward against the wall, as he glanced down at the drawing in his hand. He had allowed himself to be vulnerable, he had let her in, not only in his home but in his heart. He clenched his teeth menacingly as he stormed out of the room. He had known this would happen, but he had allowed it to happen anyways. "Stupid bloody Gryffindor's." He muttered angrily as he walked towards his laboratory. Love was a sign of weakness –it had been the case with Lily Evens decades ago and he had let it happen again with Hermione. This time around, though, the pain was worst because he had also grown particularly attached to her two children.

He looked down at the bubbling potion, glaring at its contents intensively. He dropped the drawing to the ground and with all his might tipped the cauldron over, its entire contents spilling onto the hardwood flooring. "She can get herself pregnant again for all I bloody care." He spat bitterly. He watched as the drawing shriveled up as the piece of paper soaked up the amber concoction.

He stalked out of the room once more and headed towards his bedroom. Launching himself towards the bed he quickly began ripping off the bedsheets –he needed to get rid of her odor; that deliciously smell of strawberries and cream, that particular sweet scent that sent tingles down his body. Once the bed was stripped bare he collapsed against the mattress, staring up at the ceiling fan above his head. He scoffed loudly –she wanted to feel loved yet here she was going back to her abusive husband who didn't give two shits about her. "I could have given you the world." He muttered to himself as he closed his eyes –his head was pounding, his heart beating out of his chest – he hated her, hated her for making him feel this way, hated her for making him fall in love with her children. But worst of all he hated himself, hated himself for allowing himself to feel this way for her, hated himself for aiding her in the first place.

* * *

Hermione took a deep breath as her hand clenched around her daughter's hand, Hugo was nestled in her arms, thankfully he was asleep, his little chubby cheek pressed against the warm skin of her neck. "Are we gonna see Mr. Snape again mummy?" Rose asked curiously as she followed Hermione towards the front entrance of their home.

"I don't know sweetheart," Hermione mumbled sadly as she paused before the closed door. "But you're gonna see daddy." Rose nodded happily –Hermione felt nauseous, she wished she could feel as happy at the thought of seeing her husband but that sadly wasn't the case. "Now remember the rule sweetheart."

"We were at Aunt Jennies house," Rose said seriously as she looked up towards her mother.

"Good girl, now come on let's go." Hermione cautiously twisted the doorknob, pushing it open. The familiar warm air overwhelmed her as she walked in –followed closely by Rose who pushed the door shut behind them. Hermione took a shaky breath as she looked around the house. "Ron?" She didn't realize how badly her body was shaking, she was terrified –terrified of his reaction.

Leaving the comfort of Severus's bed that morning had been one of the hardest decisions she had ever made, he had looked so peaceful and content. She smiled sadly at the thought of his arms wrapped around her body –she pushed the thought aside, she had to stop thinking about him, she had too.

"Hermione?" Her eyes snapped up towards the stairwell, Ron stood frozen on the last step.

"Daddy!" Rose exclaimed excitedly as she ran towards her father, crumbling into his embrace.

"Hey, Ron."

* * *

 **Please don't kill me! I know I know Hermione is a dumb, and also I know that whole kiss and everything that came afterward was way too soon but hopefully, I managed to convey the particular feelings I wanted to express during that section. Say goodbye to the awesome Severus and Hermione dynamic -for now at least. As always thank you to everybody for following, favoriting and reviewing, once again I got such great responses and I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter! I just wanted to respond to one particular guest review that I got that basically said that Hermione was hiding instead of facing her problems and also how she just went and kissed her 'savior' and how unrealistic it was: well, first of all I'm sorry you feel this way because I think that for someone who has been abused and unloved for years Hermione has every right to be hiding out facing this situation, and as for her and Severus's feelings towards each other, the kiss and everything that happened after was not rational behavior -ones emotions often make people do stupid things and they both realized that before anything worse could happen!**

 **Also to Natalie: Rose was born roughly a year after they lost the baby, Ron wanted a baby really badly and well we know how that went -also sorry I didn't combine your review but I was on my phone meaning I couldn't physically edit it!**

 **and also lovethelab: I'm glad I managed to handle the situation properly! Thanks for letting me know!**

 **Shout out to Blue night fairy for being the 100th reviewer**

 **Last note I promise! Please go check out my new story Loving Hermione Granger! Go check it out and let me know what you all thought!**

 **As always thank you to all of you for following this story I love you all so much and I will see you guys soon!**

 **Penny x**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX**

 **AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters.**

 **Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way. Also, dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)**

* * *

"I missed you, daddy!" Rose said excitedly as Ron leaned down, hoisting Rose up into his arms –father and daughter looked at each other lovingly.

"I missed you too my little flower," Ron said with a smile as he kissed his daughter's cheek. He glanced towards Hermione, who stood still in the doorway. She shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously, her glance frozen on the ground beneath her feet. "I missed you to Mione."

Her head snapped up to look at her husband –her body curled in a defensive position like a cat who curls its back at the sense of danger. She nodded her head, biting her bottom lip.

"What I did." He mumbled sadly, taking a small step towards her –she stepped back instinctively. "How's your head?" He slowly brought his hand up to her head, pausing mid-air as he waited for her approval. She took a step towards him allowing his fingers to curl around a loose strand of hair, she leaned into his open palm, as his fingers slowly traced the scar on her head. "I'm sorry, I –I overreacted." He mumbled apologetically, trying to catch Hermione's wandering gaze.

"Right," Hermione mumbled, cuddling Hugo to her chest.

"How about we go out just the four of us for dinner?" Ron proposed, dropping his hand to Hermione's lower back, tugging her towards him slightly. "We could go to that fish & chips place you like near the pier?"

Hermione glanced up towards Ron –his sea blue eyes twinkled brightly, his bottom lip caught in the Weasley pout that her daughter had learned to perfection. "I don't know –" She started, her grumbling stomach rudely interrupting her mid-sentence.

"I know you want to," Ron muttered, rubbing his thumb and forefinger in circles on her hip. "And then we can go and get some ice cream for our little princess over here." He continued, dropping her waist suddenly in order to twirl around, Rose's loud yelps echoed through the room, her long red locks flying behind her. "We can just apparate there. How does that sound?"

"Alright. It's been ages since we've been there." Hermione said with a small smile –she couldn't decline fish & chips, it was her guilty pleasure, it made her think back to the summer holidays before she got accepted at Hogwarts. Her parents would always take a two-week long vacation and the little family would go and rent this cottage in the South of Whales and they would always go to this one restaurant at least twice during their trip.

Ron leaned down and pecked her cheek lovingly. "And then we can come back home put the kids to bed and have a little alone time just and I alright?" Hermione's heart plummeted to her stomach, Ron sported a goofy smile on his face, his long bangs sweeping over his eyes momentarily.

"Yea alright." She found herself saying –the words cascading out of her closed lips without much thought. She took a deep breath as he placed Rose back down on the ground before he turned around to look at her.

"We're alright, right Mione?" He asked sadly, cupping her cheeks with his large hands.

"Yes. We're alright." She said, her voice thick and uneven, she blinked back tears as she pecked his lips. The feel of his lips on hers was nowhere near how she felt when her lips had touched the Potion Masters lips –instead of fire coursing through her veins, it felt like liquid nitrogen, freezing her movements, rendering her physically immobile. Oh, how she wished she could believe herself –she just hoped Ron would believe her.

* * *

Hermione carefully ran her hand down her sides, trying to smooth out the crinkles in the light cream colored dress she wore. She hadn't worn a dress in months, but she knew it would please Ron and she had to try and keep him as happy as possible; at least until she figured out her next move. She slowly brought both forearms into her peripheral line of view and frowned, her arms were bare, not a bruise nor scratch on them –minus the hateful world that reminded her daily how filthy her blood was.

"Are you almost ready Mione?" She whipped her head towards the doorway where Ron was leaning against the doorframe, a lazy smile sprawled on his lips. He wore a light blue button down shirt that matched his eyes nearly to perfection and a pair of beige colored trousers –she couldn't ever deny it, she was attracted to her husband she always had been. Maybe it wasn't the same level of attraction that she found herself feeling for her old Potion's teacher, but it was good enough.

"Yea, I'm ready." She mumbled, giving herself one last look in the mirror. She hadn't even realized that he had healed her bruises, the sneaky bastard had probably done so while she was unconscious –despite it all, she was thankful none the less. She spun on her heel and grabbed her clutch from the bed, stopping her step when she reached the door.

"You look great Mione," Ron said breathlessly, eyeing her figure hungrily.

"You look great too Ronald." She said honestly, stepping forward she pecked his lips –still nothing.

"I'm ready too!" Rose said excitedly as she appeared from behind Ron. She wore a simple black t-shirt and a pretty flowery skirt –she took had her own purse, a bright one that she had slung over her shoulder. Her flurry of hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail with a few stray hairs running widely around her face. "Daddy made my ponytail mummy." Rose pointed out, twirling the ponytail side to side. "I mean he can't braid hair like…" Hermione's eyes grew wide as she glared down towards her daughter –thankfully Ron had his back turned to her. "Like Aunt Jennie, but it still works out okay." Rose continued with a smile.

Hermione took a breath of relief; her daughter was a good liar, thankfully. "How about we get going then? I'm starving." Hermione muttered quickly, coaxing both Ron and Rose downstairs while she grabbed Hugo from his room. She smiled sadly as Hugo gurgled happily in her arms. "Come on buddy," Hermione said as she walked out of her son's bedroom.

She slowly strode down the stairwell, her eyes fixated on the steps, her daughter's soft smile echoed through the room. She smiled as she stepped off the last remaining step –Rose was currently on Ron's back, her little legs wrapped around his frame as he dashed across the room. "Are you guys ready to go?" Hermione asked with a smile as both father and daughter turned to look towards her, matching grins on their faces.

"Yes! I'm starving." Ron muttered straightening himself as Rose monkey her way around him body, settling comfortably in his arms. "Now you hold on tight my little flower alright?" Rose nodded against his neck.

"Mommy is coming too right?" Rose asked extending her hand forward towards Hermione.

"Of course my darling. Mummy's gonna be right behind you alright." Hermione said with a soft smile. Ron and Rose disappeared right before her eyes and she took a shaky breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "Everything's going to be okay." She closed her eyes, trying to push the tears back. She needed to get her emotions in check, she didn't want to accidently end up in Canada –who knew where her emotions could take her. "Alright. Let's do this."

* * *

Hermione smiled as she looked down at the menu before her, every little word making her tummy grumble in anticipation. She gave a sideways glance at Rose who sat to her immediate right, Rose much to engrossed in the drawing of a cat to care about the menu. "What would you like to eat Rose?" She glanced back up towards the waitress who waited patiently for an answer.

"Can I have some cheesy pasta?" She asked without looking up from her drawing, her little tongue poking out from behind her closed lips. "Can I please daddy?"

"You can have anything you want, love," Ron said, observing the menu before him, not noticing Hermione who had her gaze fixed on him.

"So cheesy pasta for the little lady." The waitress said, scribbling onto her notepad furiously. What about for you?" She continued looking down towards Hermione.

"I'll have the fish & chips," Hermione answered, handing the pretty blond her menu.

"Fish and chips for the lady, and what about for you?" Her tone of voice changed as she turned towards Ron. Hermione frowned at the exchange before her, Ron seemed completely oblivious to anything but the waitress's huge breasts, his hands shook as he clutched the menu tightly in his hand –his knuckles turning white at the sheer force.

"I'll have –" He paused, glancing back down at the menu. "I'll have the chicken, with the um,"

"You have a choice of grilled vegetables, mashed potatoes or the baked potato." The waitress said with a small smile, twirling a strand of long blond hair with her finger.

"I'll have the mashed." Ron finally muttered after a long few seconds of pondering.

"Great. My name is Mandy by the way." Mandy said with a wink as she spun on her heel, leaving Ron with his mouth ajar, carefully observing her as she walked away.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she glanced around the busy restaurant, tears pricked the corner of her eyes. She glanced back down towards Rose who remained focused on her drawing. As for Hugo, he was sitting in a high chair next to her, happily gurgling as he smacked his toy giraffe against the chair. Thankfully she had her children to keep her mind occupied, not that she fully cared what or who Ron looked at –she wasn't quite focused on making this marriage work out in the end either and well she had kissed Severus. She closed her eyes as she thought back to the kiss, the way his lips moved in harmony against hers, the way his hands felt against her skin.

"Well, I need to pop to the loo," Hermione muttered bitterly as she slid out of her seat, leaning down she kissed Rose on the head lovingly. "I'll be right back baby girl." She said reassuringly as she quickly made her way across the restaurant. She took deep and shallow breaths as she staggered towards the loo –groaning silently to herself at the long line of women that lead to the ladies' room.

"Where did mum go?" Ron asked curiously as he shifted his attention back to Hermione's empty seat –clearly he hadn't been paying attention.

"She went to the loo," Rose answered pointedly as she looked up towards Ron, giving him a small smile.

"Tell me what you drawing there my little flower?" Ron asked as he pulled his chair closer to his daughter, glancing down at the drawing on the table.

"It's a cat," Rose muttered excitedly as she wiggled in her seat. "Could we have a cat daddy? Maybe for my birthday! I promise I'd take care of it."

"I don't think so baby girl." He scowled. "Cat's are pesky little things, your mum had a cat once. Awful creature it was."

Rose's shoulders slumped in defeat as she dropped her coloring pencil, pushing the drawing away from her. "Fine." She mumbled sadly as she leaned back against her crossing her arms in front of her chest. "It's not fair."

"There are many things that aren't fair in the world sweetheart," Ron said bluntly as he pushed his chair back to its original position.

Rose ignored Ron and slowly started observing the restaurant, her eyes immediately focusing on a table of three that were sitting a few feet away from them, a wide smile appeared on her lips.

Hermione tapped her foot impatiently, she was getting closer and closer to the door. In reality, she didn't even need to use the loo, she just needed to take a breather for a second. "What's bloody taking so long?" She turned around as the lady standing behind her spoke. The woman was a little bit taller than herself, her dark brown locks were pulled up and begin held tightly by a golden colored barrette, her pale skin creating a striking contrast with her dark hair.

"Shit." Hermione murmured quietly to herself as she dashed out of line, quickly scurrying towards the dining room, surveying it quickly. She raced towards her table but stopped midway as she noticed that Rose had vanished from her chair, something that had completely gone amiss from Ron who was too busy playing with his muggle smartphone. She quickly stepped up on her tippy toes in a hurried attempt to spot her daughter amidst the countless amount of people that filled the room. Her eyes immediately caught sight of platinum blond –she smirked as the made her way towards the table, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding when she saw a small mass of red amidst the sea of blond.

"Rose. What do you think you're doing!" Hermione hushed quietly as she got her knees in front of Rose.

"I'm just here talking with Scorpius mum," Rose said sweetly, pointing back towards Scorpius who remained in his seat. She quickly got back to her feet and glanced around the table, her brow creasing at the sight of the Draco and his mother. Narcissa was just as beautiful and elegant as she remembered, her long blond hair falling in a straight wave behind her back, her blue eyes piercing through her own. Draco sat next to his son, a confused look graced his face, his lips pursed in a tight and smug line.

"Mrs. Granger," Narcissa said with a small smile. "Seems like your daughter has become quite accustomed to my grandson over here."

Hermione's throat dried out immediately, rendering her unable to speak. "It seems so. I'm sorry to have bothered you like such. She does know better." Hermione muttered nervously glaring down at her daughter.

"Do not worry child," Narcissa spoke coolly. "The war is over Mrs. Granger –or, is it Weasley now?" she continued glancing over Hermione's shoulder towards their table where Ron still sat perched over his phone. "If my grandchild wishes to be friends with your daughter I see it as no problem at all. Isn't that right Draco?"

Hermione washed her gaze towards Draco, who was observing her warily, his gray orbs narrow and his hand clenched around his glass of white wine. "What are you doing back with that scum?" He spat bitterly, eyeing Ron from over her shoulder.

"Draco how dare you! I'm so sorry for my son's behavior …" Narcissa said shockingly as she smacked Draco on the shoulder.

"No mother, I am not sorry for my behavior," Draco said loudly, getting the attention of a few patrons that sat close to the Malfoy table. "Remember when I told you that Severus was taking care of somebody?" He scoffed turning towards his parents who eyed the exchange between the two.

Hermione staggered back in shock. "How dare you!" She whispered through gritted teeth. She forcefully grabbed Rose's arm and tugged her away from the table. "My life is none of your business Malfoy; you don't get to dictate what I do. Ronald is my husband, the father of my two children so please butt out of my life."

"It's my business when you get involved with my godfather."

"Hermione?" Hermione rolled her eyes as she turned around to look at Ron who was standing right behind her, his arms wrapped around her son, his back arched defensively.

"Rose just wandered off that's all. I think I see our food arriving, come on sweetheart." Hermione mumbled, pushing Rose away from the table, ignoring the cold glance Draco was shooting at her. "My apologies for my daughter's behavior." She continued, Narcissa a small smile

"And you stay the hell away from my wife Malfoy." Ron spat bitterly.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me Weaslebee," Draco said with a smirk, taking another swig of his wine. Ron gritted his teeth angrily as he took a step towards Draco, his hand clenching at his side menacingly.

"Ron, come on let's go," Hermione said quietly, tugging at the back of his shirt slightly. She blinked back tears as her gaze crossed Narcissa's –the older lady frowned back at her, sadness pooling in her blue eyes. "Please."

Ron backed away slowly and turned on his heel. With a confident step, he marched towards their table –Hermione trudging behind him silently, a blush creeping up the column of her neck as she tried to ignore the peering eyes of the patrons around her. The family silently took a seat, Ron's eyes boring into her skull as he tugged at his flaming hair. He turned to look towards Rose who remained quiet as she fiddled with her thumbs. "I don't ever want you to go near them again alright?"

Rose looked up towards Ron, her bottom lip trembling slightly at his harsh tone. "But – "

"I mean it Rose. The Malfoy's are not good people alright!" Ron continued sternly.

Hermione glanced down at her daughter, her heart beating out of chest –she was too young to understand, all she wanted was a friend. "Ronald," Hermione said quietly, eyeing her husband.

"This is serious Hermione! Do you not remember everything the Malfoy's have caused –the pain they have caused our family?" Ron said in a low tone.

"The boy, he's Rose's age. What harm could he – "

"I'm not having this discussion again Hermione." Ron continued, before turning his attention back towards Rose who was now sniffling quietly in her seat, large tears rolled down her cheeks. "You have plenty of friends my little flower. You have James and Victoire alright? I just don't want you getting hurt.

Rose remained silent and simply shrugged her shoulders, keeping her gaze down.

"Rose." Ron coaxed, grabbing her little hand from under the table.

"Cheesy pasta for the little lady." All heads turned to look towards Mandy who was holding three different plates. "Fish & chips for you." She placed the selective plates in front of both Rose and Hermione before turning towards Ron. "And the chicken."

Hermione glanced down at her plate –the mere thought of eating making her want to vomit.

"Enjoy your meal!" Mandy said excitedly as she strode away from their table –silence ensuing once more as the little family began eating away.

"Draco will you please explain the situation darling?" Narcissa asked as she placed her fork and knife down on her plate.

"I've told you, mother. He abuses her and Severus saved her and took care of her and her children for a few days." Draco explained with a sigh as he leaned against his chair, rubbing his hand again Astoria's bare shoulder. "And now for some reason, she's back with the Weasel."

"And nobody has noticed anything?"

Draco eyed his mother carefully –since when did his mother care so deeply about a Muggleborn witches marital issues. "Nope. Get this, I actually saw Severus smile when in her company. He assured me nothing had happened but."

"You should stop by his place and check up on him darling," Narcissa suggested, glancing back occasionally towards the Weasley family who sat quietly. "Rose seems like quite a smart one." She continued smiling down at her grandson whose attention perked up at the name of his friend.

"Yea! Rose is great Nana! We played tag and hide and seek." Scorpius said excitedly, all the while shoveling small spoonsful of chocolate ice-cream down his throat –most of it missing his mouth entirely.

"It's not polite to speak while eating Scorpius." Narcissa reprehended, pinching her grandson's cheek lovingly. "Go check up on him Draco, please."

"I'll go tomorrow mother," Draco said with a small frown as Astoria leaned in to peck his cheek. He couldn't help but worry about his godfather's state –he had never seen Severus this excited about life before, all because of one Gryffindor princess. He chuckled to himself quietly, war really did change people.

* * *

Draco sighed as he struck his clenched knuckle against the wooden door –curse his blasted godfather for having blocked access to both the floo network and denying him access to the flat. He hated doing things the muggle way. "I know you're in there!" Draco said loudly, bringing his ear towards the wooden door –not a sound could be heard from behind the barrier.

He continued knocking for a good three minutes with no such luck. He groaned loudly as he turned around, leaning his back against the door. "Bloody hell." He mumbled to himself as he glanced down at his watch –where else could he possibly be this early in the morning? The shop was closed, seemingly hadn't been opened in a few days at that. "Fine you wanna play this game with me, Severus." Draco continued, pulling his wand out of his pocket as he turned back around to face the door.

He slowly branded his wand over the doorknob –nothing happened. Draco spun around on his heel, grabbing a fistful of blond hair in exasperation. "Alright. Fine." He stuck his wand back into his pocket and slowly staggered backward. In one quick motion, he had blasted the door open with a hard kick, much to Draco's utter disbelief. "I can't believe that worked." He said with a smile as he slowly walked into the flat.

"Severus?" He called out, glancing around the room. The flat was dead silent, nothing in sight –the only thing seemingly out of place was the fact that the door to his godfather's personal laboratory was wide open. He slowly made his way across the hall, pausing to look around the corner before entering the room, Draco gasped at the sight before him.

Normally speaking Severus's laboratory was untouched, no room was as pristinely clean as the laboratory, but now it almost felt like a tornado had flurried through the room, leaving in it's wake broken vials, a mismatched pool of assorted potions on the ground and more importantly, Severus's most prized possession, his magnificent brass cauldron, engraved with his initials that Draco and his mother had picked out for his fortieth birthday was on the ground.

"Shit," Draco mumbled to himself as he fell back against the wall. He quickly ducked out of the room and made his way towards the kitchen, his pace steady. "Bloody Gryffindor's." He stopped in the doorframe and sighed loudly once more. Taking a step forward he stopped in front of the table, where today's edition of the Daily Prophet was placed.

'GOLDEN COUPLES NIGHT OUT'

Under the headline was a picture of both Hermione and Ron with their two kids, entering the exact same restaurant they had gone to the night before. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath –the situation was definitely much worse than he had otherwise expected it to be.

* * *

 **First of all, I want to apologize for the wait, finals have sadly caught up to me and I have been doing nothing else but that for the last few days but I do hope it was worth the wait! Thank you to everybody for following and favoriting and especially to everyone who has reviewed it means the world to me and I am glad you are all enjoying this story. Sorry about the lack of Severus in this update but worry not the next chapter will be completely and utterly Severus focused. I know lots of Ron in this chapter but it has to happen, and for everyone who threatened to stop reading if Hermione went back to him, I am sorry but it is very common for abused victims to go back to their abusers, however in Hermione's case she is doing so because she needs to find some moral support from those closer to her! So please do not give up on this story I promise you all it will be worth your while in the end. As always thank you, everyone, for reading and please let me know what you all thought and I will see you all soon!**

 **Final quick note please go check out my new story called Loving Hermione Granger, it's a series of one-shot revolving around the lives of Snape and Hermione so please do check it out if you like what I do!**

 **Penny x**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter X**

 **AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters. Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way. Also, dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)**

* * *

Severus took a slow and staggering breath as his eyes fluttered open, groaning at the bright sunlight that filtered into the room. He gingerly brought his hand up to his forehead, massaging his temple soothingly. "Blimey." He muttered darkly as he closed his heavy lids once more, appreciating the darkness that welcomed him. He rolled onto his back, stretching his sore muscles and took a deep breath once more, cringing at the smell of his morning breath.

He had gotten pissed last night that was for sure –all because of the bloody Gryffindor. He scoffed, what a stupid girl she was. He shook his head as he extended his hand towards the bedside table, grabbing his pocket watch between his fingers. It was already two in the afternoon. He slowly sat up, balancing his weight with the palm of his hand as he pressed down against the fluffy mattress, the mattress itself bare beneath his touch. He hadn't bothered replacing the sheets –too angry and filled with regrets to care. He blinked a few times, trying to push the fatigue away and carefully got to his feet –his back cracking loudly as he did.

He staggered out of his bedroom, leaning against the doorframe pondering his next move –his stomach deciding for him as a loud grumbling noise filled the otherwise quiet space. With one foot in front of the other, he slowly made his way towards the kitchen; he was in rough shape alright, his otherwise straight hair stuck upwards in different angles, his dark robes were crinkled and he only wore one dark green sock, his other foot bare against the cool wood flooring.

Severus raised his brow as a soft tapping noise filled the small kitchen. "Great." He said as he made his way towards the lone window above the sink. He flicked his wrist towards the kettle on top of the stove, the water quickly began to bubble as the stovetop flamed dimly. Pulling the curtain to the side he was greeted by a soft brown tawny owl who held in its beak today's edition of the Daily Prophet.

Snatching the paper from the bird's beak, whooshing the animal away with a flick of his wrist. The bird quickly cocked its head to the side and with a flurry motion bit Severus's hand. "Bloody pest." Severus barked back, bringing his hand towards his mouth, sucking at the droplet of blood that appeared against his pale skin. In a flurry the owl was gone, leaving Severus alone in his kitchen once more.

He grumbled miserably as he launched the paper across the room –it landed on the table with a soft thud. He took a step to the left and pulled open the cupboard, taking a small vile of Pepper Up potion into his hand. With another flick of his wrist the stovetop clicked shut, a blue mug flew out of another cupboard along with the saucer of milk and the small bowl of sugar.

He grudgingly walked towards the table and collapsed into the chair, rubbing his disheveled face as the now filled mug landed onto the table carefully. He grabbed the rolled up paper in his hand and tore the elastic band off, discarding it to the side as he grabbed the mug in his hand –the upwards movement of his hand paused midway to his face as he looked down at the headline.

'THE GOLDEN COUPLES NIGHT OUT'

His hand clenched around the mug, as he glanced down at the picture, a tight ball of nerves settling inside the pit of his stomach –replacing the feeling of hunger with rage and a slight twinge of desire as he looked at Hermione. She wore a light cream colored dress, that exposed not only her long legs but her arms, shoulders, and lower back respectively. He swallowed thickly as he noticed the smile etched upon her face, it didn't quite reach her ears. She was holding onto Rose's hand, who kept glancing upwards at her mother, stepping away from Ron who held onto Hugo tightly in his arms.

He took a sip of the scorching liquid before placing the mug back down onto the table, dropping the paper as well. He sighed deeply, dropping his head into his hands. He needed to get out of this place, the lingering smell of her strawberry shampoo was driving him absolutely bonkers. On top of that, he had exhausted all bottles of alcohol the night before.

He abruptly stood up, the legs of the chair scratching against the tiled floor loudly. Grabbing the mug in his hand he walked towards the sink and dropped the filled mug with a loud clank, grumbling to himself he left the kitchen –leaving the moving image of Hermione Granger and her husband behind.

* * *

Severus sneered as he made his way through the crowded streets of Diagon Alley, pulling a face as he passed 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.' Those damn Weasley's were bloody everywhere.

"Well, well if it ain' Severus Snape." He cringed at the sound of his name, his shoulders slumping as he spun on his heels –he frowned as he came face to face with Hagrid who stood tall in front of him, a large jug of what looked like larva under his arm. "How 'ave you bin?"

"Very well and yourself?" Severus asked out of sheer politeness. Despite his annoyance with the half-giant, he couldn't bother being rude seeing as Hagrid was one of his best customers.

"I've bin good, keepin' meself busy," Hagrid said with a low chuckle. "I was plannin' on stoppin' by yer shop but…"

"Yes well, I've been uh –busy with some personal matter." Severus interrupted, silently praying that the half-giant wouldn't press the matter.

"Righ', well it was nice seein' ya. I'm probably goin' to stop by nex' week for some flesh eatin' slug repellent. Bloody pests bin real nasty this summer." He mumbled, scratching his bearded chin with his free hand.

"I'll make sure to have a fresh batch waiting for you," Severus said coolly, glancing around at the people who passed them, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Well, I've got to go –things to do you know."

"Well I won' hold yer back, I'll see yer," Hagrid said with a smile, clapping Severus on the shoulder, making the smaller man lurch forward.

Severus caught his footing and sighed, straightening his robes before continuing his way towards Knockturn Alley –he quickly dashed down the steps before he could be rudely interrupted by anybody else.

Luckily for him, Knockturn Alley wasn't overly crowded come mid-day, most of the shady witches and wizards only came out at night. He paused under the archway that led into the tavern, peering into the tainted windows. He pushed the door to the tavern open, the bitter smell of alcohol and sweat overwhelming his sense as he stepped in.

A slow melody boomed throughout the small room, dust and fluff filled the air, making his abnormally large nose twitch. There were two men sitting at the bar, both hunched over their drinks, talking amongst each other in low and hushed voices. He trudged slowly towards the bar and slid onto the bar stool furthest away from the other patrons.

"What can I get ya mate?" Severus looked up through hooded eyes at the bartender –his corporal odor making him want to vomit.

"Give me the strongest thing you've got." He mumbled, ignoring the watchful eyes of the two men at the other side of the bar.

The bartender simply nodded as he walked back towards the two men, as he pulled out a long bottle from beneath the counter. "Have you seen the legs on that bird?" One of the two men said loudly, clapping the other on the shoulder. "The amount of money I would pay to have a taste of that creamy flesh." The bartender laughed alongside the two patrons as he poured Severus a drink.

"Here ya go mate." The man said, sliding the glass along the length of the counter, not looking towards him but rather at the newspaper the two drunkards were observing.

Severus grabbed the drink silently, taking an immediate swig of the bitter liquid. From the corner of his eye, he noticed them flick open the newspaper, the headline immediately catching his attention. "Have you seen that ass too?" He flexed his fingers as he continued to listen to them talking –clear in his mind now who they were talking about. He closed his eyes, he too visualizing her nicely shaped bum, licking his dry lips.

"She's married though isn't she?" One of the men said loudly, earning a low chuckle from the other.

"Since when is that an issue with you? You screw everything that moves."

Severus cocked his head to the side as he downed the rest of his drink, turning the empty tumbler upside down onto the counter loudly –getting the attention of the three men. "I'll have another one." He ordered, not catching the bartender's eye.

The bartender grabbed the glass and turned it upwards, filling it with the amber colored liquid once more. "Here ya go. I'd take it slow if I were you mate, this shits strong."

Severus smirked at the bartender as he grabbed the glass in his hand. "Cheers." He said, tipping his head back. The course liquid burnt the back of his throat, a warm fuzzy feeling spreading through his chest. He smacked the glass back down onto the counter top, with just a little more force than before.

Without a word the bartender tipped the content of the transparent bottle into the glass, a small smirk on his face. "You beginning to feel the burn yet?"

"I am perfectly fine," Severus said with a low chuckle.

One, two, and yet three drinks later Severus was beginning to feel the weight of the alcohol streaming through his blood stream. The men had gone back to their blabbering, occasionally throwing sideways glances at him, until eventually one of the two spoke out.

"Aren't you Severus Snape?" The man furthest away from him said loudly, slipping off his stool staggering towards him with a shaky footing. "Ex-Death Eater." Severus straightened his back as he turned around to look at the man. "The man responsible for Albus Dumbledore's demise?"

"What if I am?" Severus said, sliding off his stool as well, dragging his drink off the counter.

"Didn't you use to teach at Hogwarts?" The man asked curiously, taking a swig of his beer. "Meaning you probably taught the famous Golden Trio?"

Severus tipped his head back and downed his drink once more, his vision blurring out of focus momentarily. "And what if I did?"

"Potters mudblood bitch –have you ever you know?" Severus eyed the man warily, his body flinching at the callous nickname.

"I would watch what you're saying if I were you." He said pointedly, branding his finger around. He concentrated on the man in front of him, blinking his eyes like a madman as the fuzzy and warm feeling slowly spread through his body.

"You did, didn't you? You bloody dog." All three men laughed loudly. "You bloody wanked off thinking of the mudblood bitch bent over your desk."

"I fucking warned you." Severus barked back, leaning against the barstool –his head was spinning, bile rising in his throat.

"Are you feeling alright there? I told you to go slow." The bartender said with a small smile, eyeing the two drunkards with a glint in his eyes.

"I bet she has the sweetest cunt." The man who had previously been sitting down said with a cackle as he too got to his feet.

Severus's head was swimming, his hand balled into a fist at his sides, the other hand clenching around the empty tumbler dangerously tightly.

"Too bad she would never get close to an old greasy bat like you."

Severus's hands now shook violently, his whole body trembling. With all the strength he could muster he threw the tumbler across the tavern, the glass shattered against the dart board on the opposite wall. "I fucking warned you." Severus slurred.

"What are you gonna do?" By now Severus could barely make out the difference between the two drunkards. "You gonna send an avada my way?"

"Don't tempt me foul."

"Oh because I'm so scared of the big bad Death Eater, isn't that right Tommy?"

Severus scoffed loudly, and before he could back out, he was rushing forward, his beating heart leading his step, his arm retracted back, his hand clenched into a fist.

"Bloody hell mate." Severus's eyes sprang open as his fist collided with the man's nose, sending him flying to the ground of the tavern, and before he knew it, he too was on the floor clutching his ribs having been previously kicked down by –what was his name again? Tommy?

He grunted an inhuman type of groan before staggering to his feet –or trying to anyways. His intoxicated mind, getting the better of him as he fell to his knees –fuck this really wasn't his day.

* * *

Harry grabbed the branch of his glasses, pushing them off his tired looking face. He looked down at the newspaper on his desk, the smiling faces of his two best friend peering off into the distance. He couldn't help but notice Hermione's smile that seemed not as bright as the one in the photo at his wedding; Rose's posture next to Ron also worrisome.

"Why." He asked addressing the silence around him. Just when he had possibly made up his mind about the whole situation, everything had gone down the flusher when the surprise of all surprises Hermione had popped back home, both her children in toe. He hadn't talked with either friend since she had come home but he was sure to talk with them tomorrow for his birthday party at the Burrow. Hopefully, the drama would be downed down, but then again he didn't have much hope of that.

"Harry?" His head looked up towards the door, where his secretary Hannah Abbott peeked her head through the partially closed door. "Are you busy?"

"Not at all what's wrong?" Harry feigned a smile as he pushed the newspaper to the side, crossing his arms over his chest.

"There's been an incident, at a tavern in Knockturn Alley." Harry sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "A small bar called the –" She paused to look down at the memo pad in her hands. "The Smoking Wand, it's near the entrance of Knockturn."

"Nobody else can go?" Harry asked desperately –wanting nothing less than to go take care of a few drunken wizards. Since the downfall of Voldemort, the amounts of Dark Wizards had decreased dramatically, so as of now a full day of work consisted of a few situations that include misconduct and other very mundane activities.

"Everybody else is out of office," Hannah muttered, twitching her nose with a sigh. "I'm sorry, the owner called a few minutes ago saying things were getting out of hand and it seemed pretty serious."

Harry groaned, slowly getting to his feet. "Alright, I'll head there now. Hopefully, things haven't gone too out of hands, Ginny is expecting me for dinner as an early birthday dinner." He continued with a smile, thinking of his wife –as for James, he was staying at the Burrow for the night. "You're coming to the Burrow tomorrow right?"

Hannah nodded excitedly. "Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world." She said with a warm smile, Harry followed her out of the office, the two walking towards her desk side by side.

"Great! Well, I'll be back soon –hopefully so anyways." He smiled at Hannah once last time, closing his eyes before the Aurors department disappeared from view.

He appeared in the middle of Diagon Alley, ignoring the various glares that came his way. He looked up towards the sign above his head 'The Smoking Wand' greeted him, making him scowl in despair. Who would ever voluntarily come here to get drunk? "Who in their rightful mind would ever?" He muttered quietly to himself.

He cautiously stepped forward, pulling his wand out of its holster as he noticed the broken windowpane of the front door. Grabbing the iron knob in his hand he slowly twisted the handle and pushed the door open, peering around the corner, branding his wand in front of his face.

He froze in the doorway, broken glass was scattered everywhere on the ground of the tavern, the muggle pool table had been pushed into the corner, three male bodies laid head down on the ground seemingly knocked out cold a few droplets of blood staining the flooring.

"You have got to be kidding me," Harry said loudly, dropping his wand arm to his side as he looked towards the bar. A dark figure was sitting on one of the stools, his shoulder slouched over the counter.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Harry Bleeding Potter!" Severus muttered darkly, his speech slurred and disjointed. "Always coming to the fucking rescue when it least matters." Severus continued spinning in his seat, turning to look at the young man. Harry flinched back at the sight of the older man's face: his right eye was bruised, his bottom lip split open and swollen significantly and dried blood caked his pointy nose.

"Why am I not surprised at this point?" Harry said with an exasperated sigh, grabbing a fistful of his dark and unruly hair.

"Oh, why don't you stuff it, Potter," Severus grumbled, pointing at the young man. "You know you always think you're so bloody brilliaaant jist causee yer defeated the Dark Baddie Voldie–" He continued, his rant getting louder as the words tumbled out of his mouth.

Harry closed his eyes and scoffed, thanking the lord when the older man stopped speaking. His eyes flew open as a loud thump echoed through the tavern; Severus Snape had fallen off the stool, face planting onto the hard flooring, the bottle of alcohol which had been grasped in his hand tightly, was now rolling towards him, stopping when it nudged his foot.

Leaning down Harry grabbed the bottle in his hand, turning it around to look at the label. "Why is it always me that has to deal with this crap." He rolled eyes as he smashed the practically empty bottle down against the ground. "Ginny's gonna kill me."

* * *

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I personally adored writing it and I loved the last scene and I honestly hope you guys liked it as well. Like yes, I kind of feel bad for Severus but what can I say! Things are going to fall into place very shortly I promise. As always thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited I appreciate it so much! Please keep on reviewing I always love knowing what you all thought!**

 **If you like my writing I highly encourage you to go check out my one shot collection entitle Loving Hermione Granger! As always cheers and see you all soon!**

 **Penny x**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter XI**

 **AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters. Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way. Also, dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)**

* * *

"That was a quick one." Hannah said as she looked down at the curled up form of their old Potions Professor who remained still on the ground of Harry's office –his face still swollen and bloody after the vicious bar fight that had occurred at the tavern. "What are you going to do with him?" She continued glancing up towards Harry who had an equal look of disbelief on his face.

"I'm not quite sure. I might try to contact someone to come pick him up –he's in no fit state to be alone right now apparently." Harry answered, his mind immediately drifting towards his best friend but ultimately deciding otherwise. "I just don't know who."

"What about Malfoy? He's just a floor above in the Law Department –I could go fetch him if you'd like." Hannah suggested, pulling her arms against her chest. "Seems like the most appropriate solution."

"Would you mind terribly? I'll keep an eye on him in case he wakes up –which I highly doubt he will but you never know." Harry said, wiping his sweaty brow with the back of his hand.

"No problem! I'll be right back!" Hannah said quickly before dashing out of his office, leaving Harry alone with the older man who remained passed out on the ground, letting out the occasional groan.

Harry collapsed into his desk chair, letting out a deep and shaky breath as he looked down at the unconscious man. He could very well just wait until Hannah showed up with Malfoy -but his curiosity eventually took over and he pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it towards Severus. "Rennervate." He said as a spark of bright red flew from the tip of his wand, spreading across the man's back.

Severus groaned loudly, shifting his limbs against the floor, mumbling to himself incoherently. Harry smirked as he leaned back against his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. The Potions Master slowly raised his head off the ground, keeping an eye closed as he frowned up towards The Boy Who Lived. Harry opened his mouth, ready with a snarky remark but Severus beat him to the punch. "If you say one word." His voice was slightly slurred and his pupils seemingly cross-eyed. "Why am I here?" He mumbled, sitting up slowly, his palms flat against the floor to keep him steady.

"Because you almost bloody killed those three men back at the tavern that's why," Harry said as he pulled the top drawer of his desk open, taking out a small stack of accident reports. "I'm going to have to get a deposition from you about what happened."

"What happened?" Severus scoffed loudly, now on his feet, trying to remain balanced. "What happened is that your best mate is stuck in this endless abyss with no possible way of getting out. What happened is her best friend doesn't fucking believe that she's being abused."

Harry remained silent.

"Everything else doesn't matter." Severus finished, slumping down in the seat opposite Harry. "What happened at the bar doesn't matter." He dropped his head in his hands, sighing loudly. "Can I leave now?"

"Afraid not. Hannah went to get your godson upstairs. I can't just let you waltz out of here clearly intoxicated." Harry said lightly, eyeing the man in front of him.

"You're ridiculous Potter," Severus mumbled miserably. "I'm perfectly okay to apparate home." He continued pinching the bridge of his nose, it seemed oddly more crooked than usual. Perhaps his encounter with the floor of the tavern was the cause.

"I don't think so. Now are you gonna tell me what happened or do I have to go digging through your memories to find out?" Harry asked once more, glancing down at the deposition papers in front of him. "And depending how things go I might let the incident slide."

"And why on earth would you do that?"

"I dunno. Something inside me is telling me to do so –now will you just tell me what happened before I change my mind."

Severus nodded before settling back in his seat, cracking his knuckles loudly before speaking. "Well you see, I wanted to go and have a drink because I've had a shitty few days thanks to you Gryffindor bums." He said coolly, his lips curving into a faint smirk. "So here I was minding my own business and then these two sleazebags began talking about your lovely best friend and shall I quote them 'her sweet cunt'"

Harry, who had been writing down the older man's deposition froze at his crude words. He raised his head upwards and looked towards him wearily. "Their words, not mine," Severus said defensively. "They also accused me of wanking off to the idea of her bent over my desk and…"

The door of the office burst open before Severus could finish his sentence – Hannah gave the pair a soft smile before stepping aside, allowing Draco to enter the office. "Potter," Draco said curtly, giving a small nod to Harry who had now dropped his quill.

"Anything else you'd like to know?" Severus said with a smirk as he eyed the man in front of him, ignoring Draco's watchful gaze.

"Just get out of my office," Harry muttered in annoyance, vanishing the deposition paper in front of him. "There's nothing like a little obliviate to do the trick."

Severus quickly got to his feet, grabbing a hold of the corner of the desk to steady him. "Nice doing business with you Potter," Severus grumbled as he turned towards Draco, who had remained silent throughout the length of the conversation.

Hannah waited patiently until the two Slytherins had left the office before turning towards Harry –whose head was now bowed down onto the desk. "How did that go?"

Harry merely grumbled –bloody cunning Slytherins and their tricks. He took a quick glance at his watch and groaned once more, Ginny was definitely going to kill him.

* * *

Hermione smiled down at her daughter as she brushed her fingers through her long red hair, Rose pulled a face in the mirror as Hermione's fingers got caught in a tangle. "I'm sorry love," Hermione said apologetically as she pulled her daughter's long hair into a tight braid. "There you go all set."

Rose smiled as she jumped off the little stool that allowed her to view herself in the mirror. "Thank you, mummy." She said happily as she dashed out of the bathroom in order to get ready.

"Remember to put on matching socks love," Hermione called out. At age four Rose was very independent and was now totally into getting dressed by herself, which she managed appropriately half the time, minus for the socks which she usually thought it humorous to put on mismatched ones. Normally it wasn't as much of an issue, but tonight was Harry's birthday party at the Burrow so she had to be on point for their friends and family.

Hermione groaned as she looked at herself in the mirror –after the fiasco that had been dinner the other night, Ron had been nothing but bitter towards her. He hadn't physically demonstrated his anger but she could sense it in the way he looked at her. She felt completely and utterly stupid for putting not only herself but her children at risk by leaving the safety of Severus's home, and she knew she had hurt him –Draco's bitterness towards her seemed to prove her point perfectly. She needed to think of something fast, and tonight was the perfect opportunity for that. There were a few options that rolled around through her head, the first was trying to catch Ron at his own trick, to push his buttons until he cracked. The second and probably wiser option out of the two was to talk to someone about it –Harry was out of the question, she had tried that but had failed miserable, her second choice was Ginny.

"Hermione? Rose? Are you guys ready we're gonna be late!" Hermione was snapped out of her trance as Ron's voice resonated from downstairs. Pushing herself away from the sink she trudged towards Rose's room, pausing in the doorframe at the sight before her.

Rose was on her bed, desperately trying to pull her brown colored tights up her little legs. Hermione chuckled as she rushed forward to aid her daughter. "Let me help you love," Hermione said with a smile as she kneeled down to the ground next to Rose's bed. "Stand up." Rose slide off the bed, her pink flowery dress skewed aside and her tight braid loose. Rose's little tongue poked out from behind her closed lips as Hermione pulled the hem of the tights upwards, Rose slithered around until the elastic snapped in place.

"I messed up my braid. I'm sorry, mummy." Rose said sadly, eyeing Hermione, large tears filling her blue eyes as she shifted from foot to foot.

"Hermione!"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's frantic shouting. She brought her hands to her daughter's face, cupping her cheeks lovingly. "There's nothing a little magic can't fix," Hermione whispered with a smile as she smoothed her hand over her daughter's head –just like magic, the loose strands of hair had tucked themselves back into a tight braid. "There you go."

Rose smiled happily as she brought her hand towards the back of her head, her fingers tracing the braid lovingly. "Thank you, mummy!"

"Your welcome love. Now come on let's go." Hermione said, getting to her feet, ushering her daughter out of the room. "Go downstairs and put your shoes on, mummy will be right down." Hermione continued as she turned on her heel and quickly stepped towards her bedroom, where her purse remained on the neatly made bed. Rose's little pitter patter of feet, got fainter as Hermione got further away from the staircase, she paused in front of the bed, her gaze caught on her and Ron's wedding picture on her bedside table.

They had been so utterly in love with each other at one point in their lives –she did still love despite his flaws and nasty attitude towards her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something about him caused a painful tug at her heart. She sighed sadly as she grabbed her purse, spinning on her heel she came face to face with a very angry Ron –the large vein on his neck seemingly waiting to pop at any minute. "Are you bloody ready or what?" He spat bitterly, grabbing her wrist tightly, making her grit her teeth in pain. "We are gonna be late again because of you."

She allowed herself to be dragged down the stairs, Rose was standing near the door a warm smile on her face as she tapped her Mary-Jane shoes together. Hugo was nestled quietly in his baby booster, his fingers wrapped around his teething ring which was covered in saliva. She breathed a sigh of relief as Ron let go of her wrist, she immediately glanced down at her arm –an angry hand shaped bruised slowly had begun to form on her pale skin. She immediately stepped towards Rose and grabbed her in her arms, leaning down she also grabbed the handle of the baby booster in the other. "I'll meet you there alright?" Hermione said briskly, trying to balance the weight of her two kids as Ron's face melted from view. She took a sigh of relief as she appeared in front of the Burrow.

Rose immediately began to wiggle in her embrace, to which Hermione complied and placed her daughter down onto the stone in front of the door. "Can I mummy?" Rose asked sweetly, looking up towards Hermione, her big eyes shining brightly.

"Go on," Hermione said with a smile as Rose quickly began hitting her little fists against the wooden door. Hermione glanced around nervously, expecting Ron to appear at any given moment.

They waited a few moments before the front door opened, Molly's smiling face came into view. "Well well well if it isn't my favorite granddaughter." Rose giggled softly as she ran into Molly's open arms. "Just don't tell the others I said that." She whispered quietly, kissing Rose on the cheek, stepping aside to allow her entrance. "And how are you dear?" She continued turning towards Hermione, smiling brightly.

"I'm alright." Molly leaned forward and grabbed the baby booster from Hermione's hand, cooing softly at Hugo, placing it inside the house delicately.

"Well, it's good to see you dear." Molly continued, pulling Hermione in a tight embrace. Hermione closed her eyes, enjoying the older woman's embrace –the woman who had become her mother during the last few years. She blinked a few times, in an attempt to push back the tears that threatened to fall. If there was one person she was scared of hurting the most in all of this was Molly; sweet Molly who cared so much about all of her children's happiness.

"Ron will be here shortly," Hermione said knowing the question would be posed next. She smiled in relief as she stepped inside the house. The warm and comforting smell of Molly's homemade food making her mouth water –she had definitely missed this.

"Everybody's out back," Molly said with a smile as she turned back towards the dining table –which had been stretched out in order to accommodate the dozen different plates of food prepared for the occasion; all of which some of Harry's favorites.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Hermione asked curiously. She really wasn't in the mood to socialize. She frowned as Molly shook her head.

"Oh no no, dear. Food's almost all ready. Why don't you take Hugo out back with the other kids, we've set up the kiddie pool?" Hermione gave the woman a forced and strained smile and slowly grabbed her son out of his seat.

"Alright, buddy," Hermione said quietly as she trudged out towards the backyard, where the party was in full swing. Rose was already splashing around with James, Teddy and Victoire in the kiddie pool, shouting in excitement as they took turns splashing each other –Hermione shook her head as she looked towards her daughter's attire, which was by now soaked. Harry was engrossed in an animated conversation with Neville and Hagrid in the corner of the yard near the old Sycamore tree each drinking from a bottle of butterbeer. Ginny was sitting quietly to herself in one of the foldable chairs next to the pool, observing the children playing. As for everybody else they were engaged in various conversations, simply enjoying the fresh air.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione slowly made her way towards Ginny, sidestepping away from the pool as large splashes came her way. "Oh thank god you're here to keep me company," Ginny said happily as she spotted Hermione from across the yard. She glanced down at the baby in her best friend's arms and quickly grabbed him from his mother's grasp. "And how are you, mister?" Ginny asked, kissing the chubby baby on the cheek.

"What's up with you?" Hermione asked curiously as she took a seat next to her friend –immediately sensing her bitterness.

"My husband that's what," Ginny mumbled as she turned Hugo around, placing him against her chest. "I had this whole evening planned out for us yesterday to celebrate his birthday if you know what I mean." Ginny gave Hermione a wink."But then he bloody showed up three hours late, all because of damn Severus Snape."

Hermione froze at the mention of the dark and snarky Potions Professor. "What abo- about him?"

"Even years after the war he's still bothering us," Ginny said with a long sigh, bouncing little Hugo on her lap as he clapped his hands excitedly to himself. "He got in a bar fight down in Knockturn Alley and Harry had to take care of the situation.

Hermione's heart clenched tightly. "Was –was he alright?" Hermione asked as Ron stepped out in the yard, grabbing the attention of all the little kids.

"Oh, yeah. He completely knocked them out." Hermione's tight frown turned upwards slightly. "He did get pretty bruised up, though." Hermione nodded, the tightness in her throat making it practically impossible to breathe. "Harry wouldn't tell me why he got into a fight in the first place, but let's be honest he probably started the whole thing," Ginny said with a chuckle as she eyed her brother as he strode casually through the yard towards where Harry was standing. "How's it going with Ron?" She asked turning back to face Hermione.

Hermione froze under the watchful eyes of her sister-in-law. Her hand instinctively went to wrap around the dark red mark on her wrist –something that didn't go amiss by Ginny. "Everything's fine. He's just a bit tense because of work you know how it is." Hermione mumbled coolly, ignoring Ginny's gaze.

"What is that?" Ginny asked, balancing the boy on one knee as she delicately grabbed Hermione's wrist. "Did he do this?" Ginny continued, glancing up towards Hermione's face as a lone tear slowly rolled down her cheek "Hermione. Tell me the truth."

"Ah, Hermione just the witch I wanted to see." Hermione looked away from Ginny, pulling her arm away from her friend's grasp. Bringing her other hand up to block the rays of the sun. Minerva McGonagall was standing before her, a gentle smile adorned her aged face. "Walk with me will you?"

Hermione glanced towards Ginny –whose expression turned sour. "We'll talk later alright?" Hermione promised, leaning down to kiss Hugo's forehead. "I promise, I'll explain everything." Ginny nodded, pulling Hugo closer to her chest, her gaze drifting towards her brother and husband who were chuckling amongst themselves in the corner of the yard.

"How have you been my dear? It's been too long?" McGonagall said with a smile as the pair slowly walked towards a less occupied part of the yard. "How St-Mungo's?"

Hermione sighed deeply as the two grabbed a cool bottle of butterbeer from the cooler near the door. A present which had been offered to Arthur from Hermione's parents –it had turned out to be really practical during these gatherings. "Oh, it's been alright." To be frank, she hadn't been to work for almost a whole week –Severus had owled her boss during the time she had been unconscious, something about a family emergency which had immediately granted her one week off; her next shift would be in two days.

"As long as you enjoy what you do that's what matters most," Minerva said with a bright twinkle in her tired eyes. Hermione took a swig of butterbeer, sighing in content as the cool drink rolled down her throat. "I don't know if you heard, but Poppy is retiring."

Hermione shook her head. "No, I wasn't aware." She knew exactly where this was heading.

"And please feel free to decline, I would completely understand but we've been struggling to find a replacement and I thought that well, your love of Hogwarts might drag you back." Hermione glanced up towards Minerva, her heart beating out of her chest at a thousand miles per hour.

"I –I don't know what to say." True there was no place she loved more on earth than Hogwarts. "I just – "

"I understand; you have your marriage to think about," Minerva stated, looking towards Ron who was chasing the young children around the yard.

Oh if only she knew. "It's more my children I'm concerned about," Hermione said quietly, knowing that she could trust Minerva. "To be honest I think my marriage is – "

"Speak no more. I understand. Do know that we would gladly accommodate for your children. We would give you the amount of room needed for both you and your two children." Hermione glanced down at her hand, her wedding ring shining brightly in the sunlight. "Take the time to make your decision."

"Thank you so much for the offer," Hermione said with a smile. Perhaps the solution to her problems was closer than she thought. She closed her eyes, enjoying the cool breeze that danced around her, the various chit chat and screaming children reminding her of who she was; firstly, she was a mother, her children would always be her top priority. Her heart sunk as she glanced towards Rose who was dashing at top speed across the yard, and Hugo who was now cuddled up in Luna's embrace as the blond witch twirled in circles –she was a mother, but in this situation she was a terrible mother, she had put her children at risk by coming back home.

"Auntie Mione! Help me!" She was snapped out of her trance as a pair of wet arms wrapped themselves around her legs. She looked down at the mop of silvery blond hair that attacked her. Victoire glanced up towards Hermione, her blue eyes twinkled happily, the little specs of freckles dusted her face lightly –seemingly more prominent in the sunlight.

"You can't hide from me, little one!" Harry's low voice called out, he stopped in front of Hermione, his posture rigid. "H –hey Mione." His voice now back on key.

Hermione leaned down and grabbed Victoire into her arms, the little girl immediately nestled her head in the crook of her neck. "Was Uncle Harry bothering you?" She whispered. Victoire nodded against her skin, her face illuminating as a wide smile spread across her face. "You want me to kick his bum for you?" Victoire erupted in a fit of giggles, eyeing Harry carefully. She nodded slowly.

"What? But I'm your favorite uncle!" Harry said feigning hurt as he brought his hand to chest, making Victoire giggle even more.

"Victoire! Victoire! Come over here! Uncle George found a pretty butterfly!" Victoire turned her head to glance over Hermione's shoulder to where Rose, Teddy, and James were kneeled onto the ground, observing whatever George was pointing at. She immediately began to squirm in Hermione's arms –a clear sign that she wanted to be placed back down on the ground.

Hermione complied and in a mad dash Victoire was across the yard observing the butterfly with her cousins. She chuckled at the young girl before turning her attention back towards Harry who had his hands shoved in his pant pockets, a sly grin on his face.

"I'm happy you're here Hermione." He mumbled after a few minutes of tensed silence.

"Right." She spoke softly, taking a sip of butterbeer.

"You know; I spoke with Snape." Hermione immediately snapped her gaze towards her best friend, his weight shifting from foot to foot. "What happened Hermione?"

Hermione scoffed loudly, eyeing the end of the bottle as she brought it to her lips. "Why would you suddenly care?"

"I care because you're my best friend. I care because obviously something happened between the two of you and then you decided to leave and he decided to ruin my birthday celebration with Ginny by getting caught up in a bar fight with some nasty low life's." Harry mumbled quietly, grabbing Hermione's wrist in an attempt to pull her away from the celebration.

She immediately flinched back, ripping her arm away from his grasp, her face contorted into a painful sneer. "Fine you wanna know what happened? You wanna know what the big bad Severus Snape did to me?" She said forcefully in a hushed whisper –in that moment she didn't care who heard her. "He used Legimency on me to look through my memories, and then I was visibly upset, I kissed him wanting, hoping to feel wanted for once in my goddamn life. But he was the rational one and pulled back, stating that I had to get my affairs with Ron in order before doing so." She continued pushing Harry's chest with force. "Then we fell asleep in each others arms and as much as my heart wanted to stay I left, left without a word and came back home and not only put myself in danger but my children in danger too because as much as you don't want to believe it, he –" She paused, pointing towards Ron in the distance "is not the same Ron who we grew up with. He has changed, and until you come to realize that then I have nothing to say to you."

Harry looked over his shoulder towards Ron who was talking with Arthur.

"Is there anything else you wanna know?" She asked bitterly, her knuckles white over the stronghold she had on her bottle of butterbeer.

"No." He said simply, shifting his gaze to the muddy ground beneath their feet.

She glanced over at him one last time before storming away from him, their shoulders grazing as she passed by. "You know he got in a fight because of you." She froze mid-step but didn't turn to face him. "These low lives were insulting you by the way, which is why he clonked them. He obviously cares a whole lot about you, and the feeling is clearly reciprocal."

"Food's ready everybody!" Molly shouted, stepping out into the yard, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her apron. With one sturdy step, Harry brushed passed Hermione, leaving her in a pitiful ball of sorrow and despair, her heart plummeting to her chest. She didn't need bloody Harry Potter to tell her how she felt, she knew it already.

* * *

Hermione sat quietly in one of the foldable chairs, pushing the peas and potatoes around her plate. Rose was sitting next to her, happily munching on a corned beef sandwich, her little legs swinging beneath her seat as she hummed to herself. "Are you not hungry mummy?" Rose asked sweetly turning towards Hermione.

Her daughter had the biggest heart ever, always wanting everyone to be happy –she had gotten that from her grandma Molly that was for sure. "Don't you worry about me, love," Hermione said with a soft smile, running the pad of her thumb across the smudge of sauce near the corner of Rose's mouth. "Are you enjoying the food?"

Rose nodded excitedly, taking another huge bite of her sandwich. "Grandma Molly makes the best food!" She mumbled –Hermione frowned as bits of corn beef flew out of her daughter's mouth.

"Don't speak with your mouth full love," Hermione instructed, her frown deepening as she spotted Ginny making her way towards where they were sitting.

"Can we talk now?" The redheaded witch asked seriously, taking a seat next to Hermione.

"Guess I'm not getting out of this one am I?" Hermione joked, chuckling nervously –Ginny on the other was not amused.

"Does Ron hurt you, Hermione?" Ginny asked, her voice hushed and deeply saddening.

Hermione simply looked down at her plate of food, the mashed potatoes making her stomach churn. "He's just been stressed from work."

"I know you're lying to me, Hermione." Ginny continued, eyeing Rose carefully. "Has he ever laid a hand on Rose or Hugo?"

"No. Never," Hermione said turning to look at Ginny. "He would never dare– "

"But it's okay to hit you? How long Hermione?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "Since I miscarried."

Ginny's mouth opened in shock, her blue eyes swimming with unshed tears. "Nearly five years. Five years and you've never told anybody?" Hermione remained silent. With a quivering touch, Ginny took Hermione by the hand and dragged her out of her chair. "Can you watch mummy's plate sweetheart?" Ginny asked Rose –Rose nodded with a smile, her cheeks puffed out due to the food in her mouth. "We'll be right back."

Hermione placed her plate down onto the chair, kissing Rose on the head before following Ginny across the yard. Neither said a word as they marched into the Burrow, up the long staircase that leads to the various bedrooms the house had to offer –stopping in front of the bedroom door the two had shared occasionally throughout their school years. Ginny twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, guiding Hermione into the small room that held so many cherished memories. Hermione took a seat on the edge of the bed, staring down at her shaking hands.

Ginny slowly walked towards the bed, taking a seat next to Hermione. She carefully placed her hand over Hermione's. "Start from the beginning."

* * *

And then I just left. I packed all our stuff and just left." Hermione concluded with a deep sigh, glancing sideways towards Ginny, trying to analyze the redhead's reaction.

Ginny had her elbows placed on her knees, her head placed in her hands. "I –I don't know what to say." She said slowly, pulling back to look at Hermione. "You kissed him? Wow."

Hermione blushed scarlet, twirling her wedding band around her finger aimlessly. "And apparently Harry said that he got in a fight because of me."

"This is completely bonkers you do know that right?" Hermione nodded. "But what I don't understand is why you never told anybody? We would have protected you."

"I just never thought anybody would believe me," Hermione said sadly as she looked towards Ginny, her doe brown eyes filled with tears. "I mean you're his family, what was I suppose to think."

"You're our family too, though. You always have been." Ginny continued with a sad smile, as she pulled Hermione into a tight embrace. "No matter if Ron is my blood brother, you will always be my sister."

This only made Hermione sob louder. "I just don't know what to do."

Ginny frowned sadly at the state of the Muggleborn witch. "You need to get out of there," Ginny said seriously. "I'm gonna speak with Harry and you're gonna come stay with us for a while alright? We'll have Harry set up some wards around the house…"

"But Harry doesn't want to believe me. He saw me with Severus and the first thought that popped into his head was that I was cheating on Ron." Hermione interrupted the redhead, a loud exasperated sigh escaped her lips. "I offered to show him my memories, to prove to him what Ron had done, to prove to him that if I hadn't sent Rose through the floo I would have bled to death in my home."

Ginny gaped at her friend. "Well, he's gonna have to deal with me," Ginny reassured her, pulling her into a loving embrace once more, kissing the mop of brown hair. "Everything's going to be okay." Ginny closed her eyes as she rocked Hermione's body from side to side. She couldn't believe it, her heart was telling her how impossible this was, impossible that her brother would abuse the girl he had loved since their second year, abuse the mother of his children; her head, however, was telling her how clearly obvious this had been, the coldness between the two ever since Hermione's miscarriage. The worst part out of all of this was that she had tried to get help, but Harry had simply pushed her away, disregarding her honesty completely. She had been mad at her husband before the party had even begun, but now she was furious. "Everything's going to be okay Hermione. I promise."

* * *

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Harry! Happy Birthday to you!" The room erupted in a loud burst of cheering and clapping, a loud sniffling noise breaking the moment. Everybody turned their head towards Hagrid who had pulled out his yellow handkerchief. "I'm sorry, it's jus' I held yer when you were jus' a little babe and now look at yer."

Harry gave the half-giant a warm smile before turning back to look at the double decker frosted chocolate cake, candles dimly illuminating his face. He glanced towards Ginny, confused by the weak smile she sent his way, James was cuddled up to her chest, and Teddy stood next to him, peering at the sweet delicacy in front of him. "You wanna help me bud?" He asked looking towards Teddy who nodded excitedly. Grabbing the young boy from underneath his arms he hoisted him up into his lap. "One three okay?" Teddy nodded as he peered down at the cake.

"One." Harry glanced up momentarily at Hermione, who was the furthest away from him, rocking Hugo in her arms. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes an endless pool of sadness, their eyes met briefly across the room –she immediately turned her back to him.

"Two." Harry then shifted his gaze towards Ron who was leaning against the kitchen counter. His gaze locked onto Hermione, his knuckles white from holding onto the countertop.

"Three." The minute the word tumbled out of his lips, Teddy had blown all the candles out, leaving the room in pitch darkness. Harry instinctively wrapped his arms around his godson's body, pulling him tighter to him. He sighed as a few of the party goers clapped him on the shoulder in congratulations.

"What a fine young man you've become. I know your parents would be proud of who you've become" He heard McGonagall said in the darkness that surrounded them. He sighed, he desperately wished he could believe that but right now he felt like the shittiest person ever. How many times had Hermione saved his life? She had been there with him through everything, even when all seemed lost, even when Ron walked out on them during their hunt for Horcruxes -she had stuck around. He would definitely need to confront Ron about it, he had to do something fast, before either Hermione or her children got hurt.

* * *

 **That was one beast of a chapter let me tell you that but I do hope you all enjoyed it! I was by far the longest chapter I have ever written hitting a whopping fifteen pages and it was loads of fun to write! I absolutely love the Weasley family dynamic! As always thank you to everyone who added this to their favorite, follows and or reviewed! You are all amazing! Very special shout out to whoever it was who nominated this story and Loving Hermione Granger for the best Harry Potter fanfiction for the 2016 Bit Awards! It made my day when I found out so thank you whoever you are! Voting will begin at the end of May so I will definitely be posting the link to go vote when it begins!**

 **Lastly, a fun little thing I've come up with considering this story is nearly at 200 reviews! Whoever posts the 200th review will get to submit a prompt for my one shot collection, Loving Hermione Granger! We're only 25 away so I know you can all do it! So please please please let me know what you all thought!**

 **As always thank you for reading and I'll see you all soon! Cheers!**

 **Penny x**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter XII**

 **AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters. Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way. Also, dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)**

* * *

" _And they lived happily ever after." Hermione concluded with a soft smile, glancing down at Rose who looked right back up at her with a sleepy gaze. She closed the leather bound book carefully, the tip of her finger tracing the lettering on the cover 'Fairytales of Old and New' –the book, which had been a gift from her father when she had turned four, she had re-gifted it to her daughter on her most recent birthday._

" _That's my favorite story mummy," Rose said quietly, nestling deeper into the folds of the comforter, the princess shaped nightlight illuminated the bedroom dimly. "It's nice because Belle falls in love with Beast even though he's kind of scary._

 _Hermione smiled down at Rose. Children were so innocent and loving of the world around them, wishing to see the absolute best in simply everybody. "You're right. It's what is on the inside that counts." Hermione said pointing her finger over Rose's heart. "And I never want you to forget that alright?"_

 _Rose nodded as she snuggled her bunny closer to her chest. "Did your mummy read you Beauty and the Beast when you were younger mummy?" Hermione blinked back tears as she glanced down at Rose, wishing in that exact moment that both her parents were still alive, everything would be so much simpler if they were._

" _My daddy was the one to tell me stories at night," Hermione said through choked sobs. "And Beauty and the Beast was by far my favorite too," Rose smiled happily as she brought her hand up to cup Hermione's cheek._

" _I'm sorry I made you cry, mummy," Rose muttered apologetically, quickly scooting herself into Hermione's lap, placing her arms around her mother's neck, embracing her like only she knew how. "I didn't mean too."_

" _I know you didn't sweetheart," Hermione said crushing Rose's body to hers. "I just wish you could have met them that's all." She continued pulling away from the embrace. Leaning forward she kissed Rose's button nose. "They would have absolutely loved you."_

 _Mother and daughter sat in each other embrace for a few second, contemplating the silence around them –the only noise coming from the telly downstairs, and even that was quiet enough to block out. "Mummy?" Hermione chuckled as she looked down at Rose whose eyes were fluttering closed on their own. "Why didn't you take your own advice?"_

 _Hermione frowned. "What do you mean sweetheart?"_

" _I mean why did you marry daddy if he doesn't treat you right?" Hermione's breath died in her throat._

 _She glanced down at Rose, those damn blue eyes that mirrored her fathers could make her heart break in a fraction of a second. Her beautiful little flower, so intelligent at only four years of age, her daughter who understood the severity of the situation more than she ever did. "Your daddy loves you very very much Rose –it's important for me to understand that alright?" Rose nodded against her breast. "But sometimes people change, and your daddy didn't use to hurt me before we got married." She glanced towards the doorway, the faint light emitting from downstairs reassuring her that her husband was still downstairs._

" _You should have married Mr. Snape!" Rose sighed deeply, nestling herself in her mother's embrace once more. "He's nice and could be like a Prince in disguise!_

 _Hermione couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her closed lips –picturing Snape with a suit of armor while horseback riding was certainly a sight to behold. "If I had married Mr. Snape you wouldn't be here right now and neither would your brother." She kissed Rose's forehead once more. "Now come on its time for bed love."_

 _Rose scurried off of Hermione lap and went to lie perfectly still upon the bed, her stuffed bunny still close to her heart. Hermione got to her feet and turned to look down at her daughter, grabbing the comforter she hoisted it up until it settled below Rose's chin. "I love you, sweetheart. Sleep tight and don't let…"_

" _The bed bugs bite!" Rose interrupted before erupting in a fit of giggles. "I love you too mummy." Seconds later she was out like a light, her breathing even and her eyes closed tightly. Hermione smiled, before quietly tiptoeing out of the room, glancing back one last time at her sleeping child before closing the door shut behind her._

 _She closed her eyes and leaned back against the door –the wood cool against her bare shoulders. She stepped towards her bedroom, just wanting to lay down and sleep till morning woke her, she was done dealing with both Ron and Harry; however, Ginny's support had completely rejuvenated her, it felt great knowing that she was supported and understood for once. Despite the fact that she wanted nothing to do with the Boy Who Lived, she knew that their house would be safe and it was the best place for her to go. She would have to pack not only her stuff but the kids stuff as well, but that could wait till morning._

 _She slipped beneath the covers, her head coming to rest against the soft pillow. She was exhausted, the party had literally drained every ounce of energy she had. As she lay in bed, listening to the hushed voices coming from the telly, she couldn't help but think back to her conversation with Minerva –working at Hogwarts had always been one of her dreams, and her love for helping people would be greatly appreciated there too. Not only that but it could resolve a more long-term problematic living situation…_

 _She was alerted to his presence by the simple way he stumbled into the room, she closed her eyes and silently prayed that all the ruckus wouldn't wake up Hugo. He mumbled incoherently to himself as he struts across the room, the bed dipped and in an instance his bare skin came into contact with hers –making her hiss in discomfort._

" _I thought you'd be sleeping by now." His cool breath near her ear made her frown, his hand ghosting over her skin. "But seeing as you're not." He skidded his hand across her stomach beneath her sleeping gown, reaching up to grope her right breast._

" _I'm not in the mood Ron," Hermione mumbled, wincing as he pinched her sensitive nipple._

" _Oh come on Mione. It's been forever." He replied, and before she knew it she was on her back and he was towering over her, his head buried in the crook of her neck, slobbering the skin he found there. "Don't pretend you don't want too."_

" _I don't want to Ron." She repeated once more, this time, her tone more forcefully, pushing against his shoulders in a desperate attempt to push him off of her. He sat up and glanced down at her face and despite the darkness that surrounded them she could tell he wasn't taken her harsh tone lightly._

" _What did you just say to me?" He asked, grabbing her wrists with one hand, pinning them over her head –his other hand collided with her cheek, the loud slap bounced across the walls of their bedroom._

" _Please let me go you're hurting me, Ron." She cried out, tears coursing down her cheeks –her cheek stung. "I'm sorry alright!" Ron froze above her, his grasp loosening on her wrists. Before she knew it he had flipped them over once more and she was straddling his waist, her hands grasping the material of his night shirt tightly. She glanced down at his face, only making out minute details._

" _I'm sorry." He mumbled apologetically, pulling her down flat against his chest, kissing her lips briefly, grazing her red cheek with the back of his hand, making her winch at the touch of the delicate skin._

 _She closed her eyes and pushed herself back with all her might. She was done trying to please him, done forgiving him. She maneuvered herself off of him and collapsed in a little ball next to him. He turned towards her and draped his arm around her waist, pulling her flat against his chest –she allowed him, not moving an inch as he kissed the shell of her ear. She closed her eyes, trying to control the sobs waiting to get out. Tomorrow would be different, tomorrow she was getting out, tomorrow she would be safe._

* * *

Hermione winced as she carefully applied the balm to her swollen cheek. After the events of the previous night, she had fallen into a troubled sleep, plagued by dreams of Bellatrix Lestrange slitting her throat on the floor of the drawing room at Malfoy Manor. She placed shaking hands on the edge of the sink and took a deep breath.

Ron had thankfully been gone by the time she had woken up, she, on the other hand, had been woken up by the pecking of an owl by her bedroom window –a letter from Ginny stating how thrilled James was to be sharing his room with his cousin. This had made Hermione smile, bless that little boy's heart, it was so big and loving. "Mummy?" She snapped her gaze towards the door, Rose was standing on the threshold between the two rooms, shaking her hips from side to side, a happy smile on her face. "What are we doing today?"

"Well sweetheart, we are going to be staying at Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry's house for a little while –you, me and Hugo."

Rose's hips stopped wiggling and the smile melted off her face. "Daddy's not coming with us?" She asked coaxing her head to the side.

Hermione stepped forward and got on her knees in front of Rose. "Remember our conversation last night? Where I promised you that everything I do is for the best of you and your brother?" Rose nodded her head. "Well, this is me taking a stand. So what I need you to do is to pack your pretty pink suitcase with everything you think you might need."

"Can I bring my easy bake oven?" Hermione chuckled at her daughter's seriousness –she absolutely loved that easy bake oven. When she had first received it from her Grandma Molly and Grandad Arthur she had spent days on end cooking some muffins and cookies that honestly tasted like Hagrid's rock cakes. Of course not wanting to hurt the young child's feelings everybody had had a taste of the delicacies: Molly had nearly fainted while Arthur had nearly vomited to whole thing up.

"That's a little big sweetheart." Rose's face fell in defeat. "You can bring your bunny, and a few of your princess dolls and a few books maybe. I'll take care of packing some clothing."

"But I like our home. I like my room." Rose said sadly, giant tears filling her blue eyes.

"I know you do love. I love our home too but hey you'll get to share a room with James won't that be fun!" Hermione said excitedly, pulling the girl in her arms.

"Really!" Rose said, any mention of sadness completely forgotten. "It's gonna be like a sleepover?"

"Yup! Ginny sent me an owl and James is really excited about sharing his room with you!" Hermione said encouragingly, pulling away from the hug. "Now come on go pack your stuff love." Rose quickly turned on her heel and dashed out into the hallway, skipping in delight. Hermione sighed in relief, happy with how that conversation had ended. She knew how much Rose loved this house, she loved it too more than she could ever let show but she couldn't stay here.

* * *

" _I can't believe you-you know that?" Severus rolled his eyes as he followed Draco into his flat. "Bloody getting yourself pissed over Granger." Severus pushed the door violently closed, the loud banging echoing through the flat making Draco jump. "What the hell?"_

" _If you're here to gloat then please you know the way out," Severus mumbled pointing back towards the door. Draco sighed, swatting away a strand of blond hair away from his face. "I didn't need your assistance in coming home, Potter is delusional."_

" _I saw Granger," Draco muttered as he followed Severus into the kitchen pausing in front of the table where the paper was still placed. "Her husband is a blubbering idiot."_

" _You don't think I know that!" Severus gritted through bared teeth. He took a step back and bowed his head down. "How –how was she?"_

" _She seemed more than upset that's for sure," Draco mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What happened Severus? Why would she willingly go back to him?"_

 _Severus sighed deep, grabbing the back of the chair tightly, ignoring Draco's observing glance. "We kissed. We kissed right here in this bloody kitchen." Draco's eyes seemed like they were going to bounce out of their sockets. "She showed me some of her memories and it made her upset and then well she kissed me –I bloody let it happen too." Severus continued, his voice getting louder._

" _You shagged Granger?"_

" _I said kissed not shagged. I stopped her before things got out of hand." Severus said glancing towards Draco from the corner of his eye –the wide smile melted off the young man's face._

" _I didn't know you had it in you old man! How's long it been now? A decade or so and you said no to Hermione Granger the brightest witch of her age!" Draco muttered as he plopped into the chair next to him. "Man I would have had my way with her tight little –" He paused as Severus sent a murderous glance his way._

" _Believe me. It took just about every inch of self-control I had to push her away." Severus muttered breathlessly, desperately trying to picture anything but sweet Hermione, her lips kissing his neck, her hands slowly trailing down to the button of his –_

" _Then what happened?"_

" _Woke up yesterday and she was gone," Severus said quietly, trying to mask the quiver in his voice._

" _I'm sorry Severus. I really am." Draco's head fell in his hands. "But maybe this is what's best."_

" _How so?" Severus asked curiously, eyeing his godson from across the table. "I know it may sound completely ridiculous but I had gotten used to her being here with the kids. Like I know it was only a few days but you know this bloody flat didn't feel all that empty anymore." Severus continued._

" _You really have grown to care about her haven't you?" Draco asked, his previous statement far from thought as he looked towards his godfather; the man he had grown to admire so damn much in the last few years, a man who had risked everything for love. Despite his cold attitude towards practically everything that surrounded him, nobody could deny that Severus Snape had a big heart, and he didn't need a response to his question to know the answer. "Hey, I guess you have a thing for Muggleborn witches." Draco continued with a chuckle._

 _Severus couldn't help the chuckle that passed his closed lips. "What can I say." He mumbled, shrugging his shoulders. "They have a certain affect on me you could say."_

 _The two men remained silent for a view seconds before Draco scooted to the side, pulling his wallet out of the back pocket of his trousers. "If you see either the Potters or Granger." He filtered through various different compartments of the wallet: some filled with muggle coins, one picture of Astoria holding a newborn Scorpius and one in particular filled with business cards. He pulled one of the small white cards out and handed it towards Severus. "Make sure they pass this on to Granger alright?"_

 _Severus looked down at the card in his hand: 'Draco Malfoy Professional Attorney' was written in a neatly handwritten font on the front. "What the hell is this?" Severus asked dumbfounded as he glanced up towards Draco._

" _If she's serious about divorcing the Weasel, then she's gonna need the best god damn attorney possible," Draco said with a small smile._

" _You wish to represent her in her divorce." Severus shook his head._

" _It's an option alright? And hey since she's somehow managed to conquer the heart of by cold-blooded godfather then I might give her a deal she can't refuse." Draco continued as she got up from his seat, the loud screeching of the legs of the chair making Severus's teeth grit together. "My mother is still insisting you come over for tea."_

" _Tell your mother I'll pop by tomorrow," Severus said quietly, looking at his joined hands._

" _Perfect. I'll see you soon alright? And please don't just sit here all day moping." Draco said carefully, patting his godfather on the back in comfort before disapparating out of the kitchen._

 _Severus sighed loudly, twirling the little card aimlessly in his fingers. He was glad that Draco was putting aside his differences and willing to help for once, now he just needed to get this to Hermione. He wasn't really in the mood to visit Potter again, that boy absolutely drove him up the wall. He slowly brought his head down to the table –he was at a loss; he didn't know what to do._

* * *

He slowly brought his hand down towards the potion, twirling his finger in a large circle, making the concoction swish around to the motion of his finger. Glancing up towards the large window he watched as the various passerby's walked on –large smiles on some, bitter expressions on others. He had finally decided to tumble out of the hell hole he called his flat and to come to the shop and work, he needed to get out and move on with his life and if life sees fit that he stumbled upon Hermione or any of the Potters then be it.

He was caught off guard however when the bell above the door chimed, signaling the arrival of a customer –a customer whose flaming red hair he would recognize anywhere. "Well, if it isn't Ginevra Weasley," Severus mumbled coolly, not looking up towards the young redhead.

"It's Potter and you know it." She said, taking a deep breath as she walked over to the front counter, examining the various potions that aligned the wall.

"Well, then Mrs. Potter are you here to tell me to lay off your best friend? Cause if you did then I already know it, your husband has been making damn sure of it." Severus said with a sneer, eyeing the young witch carefully.

"I'm not here to gloat Severus." She said pointedly as his first name escaped her lips. "I'm here to thank you for saving my best friend." She continued, bowing her head down. "And I don't want you to think that we're bad people or that we care about Ron's opinion more –" She took a pause, her voice quivering. "I don't anyways but my husband has his own opinions."

Severus remained silent as he watched the young woman fall apart in front of him.

"If it wouldn't have been for you, my niece and nephew would have been without their mother." She continued, slowly bringing her hand to touch her face, wiping away a stray tear. "I mean; I would never have expected my brother to do something like that. But the war did change him, and then the miscarriage was like the final blow I guess."

"With all honesty Mrs. Potter, I do not wish to hear pity excuses about Ronald Weasley's behavior –none of what he has done is excusable." He mumbled angrily, towering over the redhead from behind the counter.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just thought I'd let you know that she's leaving the house. She's going to be staying with Harry and me for a while until she can figure stuff out." Severus released a staggering breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "If you wanna see her you know where we live, and I'm sure she'd be happy to see you –the kids too."

"And why would you think that?" He asked, resting his open palms against the counter.

"She told me. She told me how much you took care of her and the children, and she also told me about the kiss you two shared, and I'm not saying this to embarrass you." She said, the apology thumbing out of her mouth as his jaw twitched. "I'm just saying that she does care about you and she does want to see you again."

"Is there anything else I can help you with today, Mrs. Potter," Severus said, his dark eyes shielded behind the veil of hair that swept across his face.

"Actually yes. Other than to chit chat I did come here looking for a potion."

Severus raised his eyebrow.

"I'm here for a potion that will relieve my um –" She paused her hand instinctively going to rub her belly.

"Does your husband know yet that you are with child?" Severus examined with a smirk as Ginny's cheeks flared up.

"He does not. Nobody does actually." She mumbled in nothing more than a hushed whisper. "It's just the morning sickness has been progressively worst then what I experienced with James."

"No need to justify yourself," Severus said, as he took a step around the counter. "One vial should last you around two weeks' time –so I shall give you one for now and you can always come back and get more at a later point in time." He explained as he stopped in front of one the large shelves that hugged the wall.

"That should be fine," Ginny said, watching his hand as it clasped around a vial filled with a light blue colored potion. Placing her purse on top of the counter she quickly dug into its content, pulling out her coin purse. "How much do I owe you?" She asked as he took placed behind the counter once more.

"It's going to be one galleon and six sickles," Severus said pushing the vial across the smooth surface of the counter –Ginny did the same with the money.

"Thank you. And please don't – "

"I won't mention anything, Mrs. Potter," Severus assured her.

"And seriously thank you so much for what you did. And I know it might not seem like it but Harry is grateful, I know he is." Ginny said with a small smile as he carefully placed in the potion into her purse. "And please don't be shy to stop by." She gave him one final smile before turning on her heel.

"Wait." Ginny looked over her shoulder back at him. "Could you please pass Hermione a message?" He pulled the small white card out of his robe pocket. With a steady step, he walked out from behind the counter and walked towards Ginny who was now frozen near the door. Extending his hand forward he pressed the card to her arm. "If she plans on divorcing him." He said simply.

Ginny looked down at the little white card and slowly took it between two fingers. "Thank you, Severus." She said with a smile as she pocketed the card. "I do hope I'll be seeing you soon."

He didn't reply but merely stood there watching the young redheaded witch as she left the shop. With a staggering breath and unsteady pace he walked back towards the counter, pressing his face into the palm of his hands. He groaned loudly, the only noise coming from the bubbling cauldron. He couldn't help the fluttering in his stomach –she would be safe as much of an idiot as Potter was he wouldn't dare let Ron harm Hermione in his own home. He so desperately wanted to see her again, to touch her warm and soft skin, and as much as Ginny's invitation seemed welcoming he didn't know what would happen if he wound up in the same room as her.

* * *

 **I was completely blown away by the amazing response I got for the last chapter! Thank you for the 29 people who reviewed it was absolutely unbelievable we have hit over 200 reviews which I never expected, to be honest! Also thank you for the follows and favorites! I'm so sorry for the wait and this chapter overall it's not my favorite but I'm excited for the next chapter because as they say shit is going to hit the fan so I do hope you are all excited! Please let me all know what you thought! And also, I hope you're also excited about Draco's part in what is to come!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter XIII**

 **AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters. Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way. Also, dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)**

 **Please do take the time to read the authors note at the bottom of the page.**

* * *

"Food is great Mione." Ginny said with a smile as she brought the fork to her lips, eyeing her husband from across the table. Harry glanced right back at her from over the edge of his rounded glasses, shifting in his seat uncomfortably as he pushed around the peas on his plate.

"It's no problem," Hermione said with a smile as she glanced towards Hugo who was smacking his little-bawled fists against his highchair. "I mean you guys are letting us stay here –it's the least I can do." She continued as she grabbed a piece of soft boiled cut carrot between two fingers, pushing it towards Hugo's closed lips.

"Mah mmm mmm." Hugo babbled, opening his mouth allowing Hermione to place the carrot in the boy's mouth. Smacking his gums loudly he smacked his open palms against the high chair once more.

Silence persisted, the only noise coming from the clattering silverware and Hugo's incoherent babble. Harry sighed loudly, placing down his utensils against his plate. "Are we just going to continue like this pretending nothing is happening?"

Ginny stared at Harry incredibly, her mouth opened in shock. "Harry!"

"Well, what Ginny! Are we just going to sit here and pretend that nothing is happening!" Harry said loudly, glancing momentarily towards James and Rose who were now leaning against their chairs looking down at their laps. "James why don't you go and play with Rose in the treehouse."

James and Rose immediately slipped out of their seats and dashed towards the back door quietly, leaving the three adults flushed faced. "I'm sorry," Hermione muttered sadly, glancing down at her plate.

"You have nothing to apologize for Hermione," Ginny said quietly, glancing bitterly towards Harry who had his face in his hands, his glasses pushed up so that they rested on top of his head. "Did you set up the wards like I asked you too?"

"Yes alright? I set up the wards like you asked! So he can't get in here!" Harry bellowed loudly. "Look, Hermione, it's not that I don't believe you it's just – "

"Don't even finished that sentence Harry James Potter or I swear to merlin's pants – "

"Just stop! Both of you stop it!" Hermione said, pushing herself out of her seat, resting her open palms against the table. Both Harry and Ginny turned to look at Hermione. "If me being here is going to stir up this much commotion between you two then I'll just leave." She continued, now out of breath, her vision fuzzy due to the tears that threatened to spill.

"Harry is just being unreasonable." Ginny spat towards her husband. "Out of everybody in the entire world apart from me –Hermione has been the one to support you through everything!" Ginny continued as the world spluttered out of her mouth. "You look at me when I'm speaking to you!" Harry's eyes snapped upwards to meet his wives.

"Look I understand, it's hard to imagine Ron doing something like that, believe me, I know that," Hermione said placing her hand around Harry's forearm. "Remember when we were in the Forest of Dead?" She felt Harry tense beneath her touch. "Remember when Ron left us?" Meanwhile, Ginny didn't speak, she remained silent watching the two best friends carefully. "I stayed with you. I didn't abandon you. And I'm not condemning Ron for leaving, I'm really not. But please Harry I need you to believe me." Hermione lowered her head, her cheeks now wet with tears.

Harry glanced towards Hermione, his heart breaking at the sight of his best friend falling apart in front of him. Pushing out of his chair he staggered towards her and pulled her quivering form into his open arms. "I'm sorry Hermione, I'm so sorry Hermione for not believing you." Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, now openly sobbing against the skin of his neck. He met Ginny's gaze from over Hermione's shoulder.

A loud blaring boomed through the house, making Hermione flinch in Harry's embrace. Ginny quickly rushed out of her seat and walked towards the pair as Harry pushed Hermione into Ginny's arms. "The wards," Ginny muttered as Hermione began to sob uncontrollably. "Could it be Ron?"

Harry pulled out his wand from his back pocket, eyeing the long piece of wood. "It's Severus."

Hermione's cries died in her throat. "How does he know I'm here?" She asked, pulling herself away from Ginny. "Did you go see him?" She asked looking towards Harry.

Harry raised his arms defensively. "I didn't I swear." He looked towards Ginny, his eyes seemingly about to bulge out of his skull.

Hermione spun on her heel and looked towards the red head. "You went to see him?"

Ginny nodded. "I went to thank him for saving your life. I thought he deserved an apology after the way you treated him." Ginny said pointing her finger towards Harry.

"We don't have to let him in if you don't want too," Harry said rubbing his forehead.

Hermione took a deep breath. "No, it's okay. You can let him in." She nodded her head almost as if to reassure herself that everything would be okay; when in reality, her heart thumped against her ribcage at seemingly one thousand beats a second.

Harry swished his wand, and before anybody to utter a single word a loud even knocking resonated through the house –Hermiones breathe caught in her throat as Harry and Ginny quickly slipped away from the Muggleborn witch. "We'll be upstairs if anything," Harry said pulling Ginny by the hand.

Hermione nodded solemnly, not dragging her eyes away from the door. "Mah mmmm." Her head snapped towards Hugo who was still in his high chair, his hands stretched out towards her, clenching his little hands into fists. Hermione rubbed her sweaty hands on her shirt and took a step towards Hugo, grabbing her son lovingly into her arms.

"It's okay my sweet boy." She said quietly, kissing his forehead. Severus knocked once more –short and persistent. She slowly walked towards the door, grabbing the doorknob in her hand. Taking a deep breath, she twisted the door open.

Time stood still as the door swung open; coming face to face for the first time in days. Single utters of each other's names had been enough to send them over the edge, but now in that moment, she just wanted to collapse into his embrace. His hands were shoved deeply in his robe pocket, his head bowed down his dark hair forming a curtain over his face. "Hey." The word tumbled out of his mouth and before he could even meet her gaze her arms were wrapped around his neck and her head buried in his neck –breathing in his musk odor all the while holding onto Hugo in an attempt to not crush him between their two bodies.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled weakly, unable to stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

He stiffened, his eyes immediately glancing towards Hugo who was nestled between their two bodies. "Uh, Hermione?" She immediately froze in his arms before pulling away, wiping away the tears with the pad of her thumb.

Glancing down she smiled weakly at the young boy in her arms. "How have you been?" She whispered shakily, running her hand through Hugo's mass of red hair.

"We both know I'm not here to talk about myself." He said shuffling from foot to foot as he too glanced at Hugo –who surprisingly enough was staring right back him; blue eyes meeting onyx ones. The two adults shared matching smiles as Hugo extended his little chubby arm towards Severus, his fist clenching open and close, open and close again.

Hermione quickly glanced up towards the Potions Master; his eyes shone brightly as he looked at Hugo. "Do you wanna hold him?" She asked slowly, twisting her body towards him.

Without uttering a word Severus leaned forward and grabbed the chubby boy in his arms, Hugo immediately nestled himself into the crook of the mans neck, his fist closing around a strand of dark hair.

"I can't believe it," Ginny whispered into Harry's ear as the two watched the scene from the deck in the railing of the landing. Harry gapped at the couple, unable to believe the sight before him. "Who would have thought that Severus Snape would be in our house and that our Hermione would be in love with –" Ginny's voice trailed off as a loud slamming echoed through the house; two pairs of little steps zooming into space.

"Mr. Snape?" Both Hermione and Severus turned their heads towards the direction of the little voice. "You're back!" Rose continued, a wide smile grazing her lips as she dashed towards the older man. Severus barely flinched as Rose crashed into his stilled frame, her arms wrapped around his legs. "I missed you!"

Severus pursed his lips as he glanced down at the young girl, all the while trying to stand still with the baby in his arms. "Seems like my kids have taken a real liking to you," Hermione said with a soft smile as she traced the babies face with the tip of her finger. "Don't know why really?"

Severus couldn't help but fight back a smile. "Yes well, they are likable enough." He mumbled coolly, shying away from Hermione gaze.

"Mr. Snape! Mr. Snape!" Severus glanced down towards Rose, his lips curled upwards slightly. "Do you think you could braid my hair again? I asked my daddy to do it the other day but it didn't look very good." Rose continued with a pout, as she pulled the tip of her ponytail.

Hermione peered upwards towards Severus, a hopeful glint in her eyes. "Very well." He said, rolling his eyes as Rose jumped up and down excitedly.

"This is incredible," Ginny whispered in a hushed tone. "Ron's got nothing on him that's for sure." Harry nodded in agreement. "You did good tonight." Ginny continued, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm still a twat," Harry mumbled, placing a delicate kiss upon his wife's forehead.

"Oh, I never said you weren't," Ginny said with a frown. "And I'm not saying that Hermione's going to forgive you anytime soon –you really did hurt her you know." Harry bowed his head down in shame. "What I am saying is that tonight you were there for her –and I know it meant a lot to her."

Harry simply nodded, and as he looked down through the bars of the railing, he could tell that Severus Snape cared, he could tell that Hermione too cared deeply for the older man. He couldn't say that he understood the deep connection both shared, but he could accept it –as long as it made his best friend happy.

* * *

"Daddy, it hurts." Scorpius mumbled through tears as he clutched his arm. Draco rolled his eyes as he paced around the hospital room. His son seemed particularly tiny in the big bed, his blond hair disheveled, one of his cheeks red and partially scrapped.

"How many times did I tell you not to go on your broom without asking permission first?" Scorpius didn't meet his father's gaze, his bottom lip quivering. "You look at me when I talk to you."

"I'm sorry Daddy. I –I." Draco walked towards the bed and took a seat next to his son, pulling the small boy against his side.

"Just promise me that next time you're gonna ask alright?" Scorpius nodded then sniffled quietly as he nestled deeper into his father's side. "When is this bloody healer going to get here." He said loudly making Scorpius flinch next to him.

Just as the words left mouth the door to the individual room opened, revealing one smiling Hermione Granger. "Hello." She said with a soft smile as she closed the door behind her.

"Hello, Mrs. Hermione!" Scorpius said excitedly.

"Hello, Scorpius," Hermione said, giving Draco a court nod before stepping towards the young boy. "What seems to be the problem here?" Hermione asked, placing the clipboard on the bed next to the young boy.

"He didn't ask permission too-" Draco started, he stopped mid-sentence however when he met Hermione's gaze from across the room.

"How about you tell me what happened Scorpius?" Hermione said encouragingly as she placed the palm of her hand across the boy's forehead.

"Well –Pinky was cleaning the house, and daddy and mummy were at work and I was bored because you see I had already finished my school work and I wanted to go on my broom." Hermione couldn't help but chuckle at the little boy. "So then I went outside in our yard –you see we have a huge yard so its okay to go flying as long as I don't go too far up."

"Get to the point Scorp," Draco muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"So I went on my broom and it was alright for a while but then it started getting really windy!" Hermione grabbed the boys arm and slowly began to apply light pressure to the skin, his wrist seemingly swollen and slightly bent out of shape.

"Tell me if I'm hurting you alright?"

"Okay –so it was really windy, so windy that I thought I was going to fly off my broom! I was trying to get back onto the ground but I couldn't and then I fell." Scorpius concluded, watching Hermione's hand glide over his arm.

"Well, it looks like you broke your arm," Hermione said, looking up towards Draco. "You're gonna need to have it in a cast for a good six weeks."

"Daddy, what's a cast?" Scorpius asked quietly, his gray orbs wide in stricken fear of the unknown.

Both Hermione and Draco laughed at the young boy. "You don't need to worry –it's like a mold that we're going to put around your arm so that your arm can heal properly," Hermione said with a smile, Draco stepped towards the bed, placing his hand on Scorpius's shoulder.

"Are you gonna be the one to do it?" Draco asked, his hard gaze softening as he glanced towards Hermione.

"Do you not trust me?" Hermione snapped back with a coy smile. "I could always hand his file to one of my coworkers."

"Daddy I want Miss. Hermione to do it!" Scorpius stated bluntly, frowning back towards his father. "She's Roses mum, and I like Rose so I like Miss. Hermione, she's nice and very pretty."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Why is it that you've captured the attention of everyone in my immediate circle –first my godfather, and now clearly my son."

Hermione's pursed lips curled upwards slightly at his soft tone –she did remain silent however, she turned to look back down at the young boy.

"So you're gonna put it on right Miss. Hermione?" Scorpius asked, peering upwards towards Hermione.

"Of course, I will Scorpius. You know, there's this Muggle tradition where you get people to sign and draw on your cast." Hermione said with a smile, watching gleefully as Scorpius's gray orbs shone brightly.

"Really?"

"Yes! And if you want I'll sign your cast, and maybe you and Rose can have a playdate sometime soon and I'm sure she'd love to sign your cast."

Scorpius immediately turned his little body to look back at Draco. "Do you think I could daddy? Rose could come over to our house and I could show her the play room and the yard and my broom!" He turned back to look at Hermione. "Does Rose have a broom?" Hermione shook her head. "Then I can show her my broom! And she can draw on my cast right?"

"Calm down Scorpius, first, we must get that bloody thing on you first," Draco muttered in annoyance.

"Don't worry Scorpius we'll organize a playdate –after all your daddy is going to be my lawyer isn't he?" Draco's head snapped towards Hermione's direction, his face an unreadable mask. "If the offer still stands that is."

"You spoke with him?"

"I did. He dropped by a few days ago and we're going out for coffee later tonight."

"What did your husband have to say about that?" The word husband sounded forceful coming from the blonde's mouth.

"I left. I'm staying with Harry and Ginny."

The adults remained silent, both not knowing what else to say. A few seconds passed before either said anything. "Alright, well now that we've established the problem how about we get started on that cast. I'll be right back you stay put okay?"

"Be back quick okay?" Scorpius said with a smile as he leaned back against the bed, rumpling the white lining of the bed as he did so.

"I promise. In the meantime, here have this." Hermione dug her hand deep into the pocket of her healer's uniform. Scorpius's smile widened as she pulled a bright orange lolly from her pocket.

"You can have that after dinner Scorp, alright?" Draco instructed sternly, his piercing gaze shooting Hermione a look.

Scorpius paid no attention to his father and in seconds he had the sweet candy between his lips suckling on it loudly, making Hermione grin at both Scorpius's excited face and at the annoyed glance Draco was sending her way.

* * *

"You listen to me, Harry James Potter! I need an explanation from both you and Ginevra pronto! I owled Hermione myself but she hasn't answered me, and my dear Ronald just stopped by –he's absolutely distraught over the fact that he hasn't seen his kids in four days. Please just keep an old woman in the look alright? I love you dear just remember that."

Harry sighed loudly as the piece of parchment crumbled up to pieces before irrupting in flames before his very eyes. Molly's sweet and loving voice fading around him, leaving him in utter silence once more. He had told Ginny to go see her, she deserved to know what was happening. Ginny had insisted that it was best to keep her mother out of the loop –bless that sweet woman's heart, she would surely collapse when she would hear of the torturous behavior her son had been going through.

On top of Molly's howl, he had also received various Owls from Ron, demanding where his wife and kids were and why he wasn't permitted within the Potter household –as per Ginny's suggestion he had not replied. He was dreading the confrontation that would obviously arise between him and the boy who had been his first true friend, the anguish eating him up from the inside.

However, he couldn't let this cause any self-destruction –after all, he was expecting the Ministry of Magic to arrive at any given moment. He glanced down at his watch, leaning back against his chair he took a deep breath; at precisely half past four, Kingsley Shacklebolt strode into the office his bright purple robes creating a striking contrast with the pale walls of the office space. "Harry Potter," Kingsley said courtly, extending his hand towards Harry who immediately got to his feet.

"How was Canada Kingsley?" Harry asked with a smile, returning the older man's vigorous handshake. "Please have a seat."

"Well, you know how weird those Canadians are! With such few Magical institutes around the country, its no wonder they've all turned into the crazy bunch." Kingsley laughed as a steeping pot of tea floated towards the desk –two mugs the following suit.

"Still take your tea black?" Kingsley nodded quickly. "Well you'll be happy to know that last week we caught Greyback in the Forest of Dean –I mean it wasn't without the fair share of injuries but all our Aurors came out standing for the most part."

"Excellent work Harry." Kingsley nodded as he brought the steaming mug to his lips. "I knew promoting you to Head Auror would greatly aid the Ministry and it seems like I was not mistaken."

Harry chuckled deeply as he took a sip of his own cup, the warm liquid overwhelming him with relief as it washed down his throat. The two men remained silent for a few moments –allowing a soft yet determined voice echo from behind the closed door. "I told you, Ronald, you cannot go in there! Harry is in the middle of a meeting right now." Harry immediately tensed up in his seat at the sound of his friend's name –Hannah's voice seemingly panicked, Kingsley curiously glanced over his shoulder as the door to the office burst open.

"Where is she, Harry?" Ron exclaimed loudly, his eyes boring into Harry's own, his nostrils flaring un anger. "Tell me where she is. I know you know."

Harry casted a sideways glance towards Hannah who stood behind Ron, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. As for Kingsley he remained silent, his cup of tea still clutched in his strong hand. "Well, Harry." The man slowly got to his feet and glanced between the two members of the Golden Trio. "I'm going to escort your lovely secretary out and leave you boys to your discussion."

Ron stepped out of the way as Kingsley took a step in front of him. "Now how are you doing Mrs. Abbott?" Kingsley said with a faint smile as he stepped through the door –Harry glanced towards Hannah, whose whole face was a deep shade of red.

The pair stood in silence, the air so thick it could have been cleanly sliced with a blade –the two friends glared at the other; Ron's blue eyes dark and cloudy, his hands balled at his sides. "Where is she, Harry?"

As soon as the door to the office closed behind the two, Harry slammed his hands down upon the hard desk. "I am not having this conversation with you, Ron. I don't have time for –"

"Where is Hermione? And where are my god damn children!" Ron bellowed loudly as he stormed towards Harry, his finger jabbing him in the chest. "And why on earth can I not come to your house anymore?!"

Harry licked his dry lips and took a deep sigh. "I don't have time for this Ron."

"I know she's at your house, what bloody lies has she babbled to you folks? Has Ginny turned on me as well is that it?"

"Nobody has turned on you, Ron!" Harry exclaimed, crashing into his office chair, his head falling into his open palm. "Look please don't make this any harder then it already is! The only reason I haven't called in for a house arrest yet is because you're my best mate."

"A house arrest? Whatever the bloody for? I've done nothing! Absolutely nothing that she didn't deserve." Harry snapped his head towards his best mate –unable to believe the words that escaped his lips.

"Just leave her alone Ron, that's all she's asking," Harry warned, his tone low and aggressive. "Now please you just interrupted my meeting with the Ministry of Magic himself."

Ron glanced down at the man who had been his very best friend ever since their school days. "Fine then. By all means, I'll leave you alone since the Ministry of Magic himself is more important than your friend's sanity." Harry rolled his eyes at Ron's exaggerative tone.

"We'll talk soon alright," Harry mumbled softly, now glancing back down at the large stack of papers on his desk. Ron scoffed loudly as he shuffled from foot to foot, running his hand through his unruly mop of ginger hair.

"Whatever you say –The Boy Who Lived. Selfish just like you've always been." With that Ron disappeared from Harry's office, leaving the owner of the office in a pile of self-sorrow and pity.

"Unbelievable shitty prick –after everything we've been through," Harry mumbled with a frown as he slammed his balled fists against the wooden desk. "I have to go see Hermione." He whispered to himself, pushing himself out of his chair with a loud squeak. He took a confident step towards the door, his hand resting on the handle as he pulled it open, coming face to face with Hannah who held a large stack of papers in her arms.

"Harry! Kingsley left these for you! You have to approve them all by the end of the day!" Hannah mumbled quickly as she pressed the documents against Harry's chest. Harry rolled his eyes, his jaw clenching. "Sorry Harry," Hannah mumbled apologetically as she stepped back before heading towards her desk.

Harry mumbled incoherently to himself as he trudged back towards his own desk. "Guess Hermione's going to have to wait." He would do this quick, he had to do this quick.

* * *

Hermione brought the paper napkin to her lips, dabbing the corners of her lips quickly as she glanced around the small coffee shop. Her hands shook nervously as she clutched the cup in the other hand –she had a sinking feeling that he wouldn't show, which wouldn't surprise her in the slightest considering the awkwardness of their last encounter.

After she had invited him in for tea, Rose had promptly begged him to braid her hair, something he couldn't have possibly said no too, given her cute pout. After grumbling a few moments, he had taken a seat next to her on the couch –their knees barely touching as they sat in silence.

Idle chit chat sparked between the two, eventually, Rose passed out, nestled between the two of them and as for Hugo he remained in Severus's arms until he too like his sister dozed off. He had brought up the idea of the two of them going out for coffee, she had been thrilled of course, but in the back of her mind, she held her lingering doubts.

"Hermione?" She glanced up towards the call of her name, his deep and sensual voice sending shivers coursing through her spine. Her face broke out into a smile as he loomed over her –unlike his usual dark wizarding robes, he wore a pair of dark blue Muggle trousers and a black button up shirt.

"Severus!" Hermione exclaimed loudly as she pushed her chair away from the table. "I –you came?" She muttered nervously, subconsciously rubbing her sweaty palms against her yellow sundress.

"Of course, I bloody came you, daft girl." He drawled quietly, taking a seat opposite her own, trying to ignore the shortness of dress, and the well-exposed cleavage.

"Right then, I hope it's okay I ordered you some tea, just how you like it." Hermione continued with a soft smile as she sat back down in her seat.

"That's perfectly fine. Thank you." Severus mumbled taking a sip of the bitter liquid. "How have you been?"

Hermione perked up, her doe brown eyes illuminating brightly. "I've been good. Work has been busy as ever –I saw Draco and Scorpius earlier actually. The poor boy broke his arm." Hermione said dropping her gaze towards her cup of tea in her lap.

"You know what I meant." Severus quickly changed the conversation, trying to meet her gaze. "Have you seen him recently?"

"I haven't seen him all week. It's felt terribly liberating really. And I guess it's all thanks to you."

He raised his brow as he brought the cup to his lips once more. "You are planning on pressing charges right?"

"Well I mean; I was planning on simply divorcing him."

Severus scoffed loudly. "You are joking correct?"

"What do you mean joking? There's nothing to be joking about." Hermione said with a frown.

"The man nearly kills you and you plan on ignoring that?" Severus said, his tone of voice growing increasingly louder.

"Well, I mean." Hermione cowered back into her seat.

"I've seen this situation before Hermione." Severus lurched forward, his balled fists curled onto the table firmly. "It's a never ending cycle. He's not going to stop."

Hermione glanced towards him, her dark eyes clouded with unshed tears. "I just can't take his kids away from him."

"Yet he nearly purged his own children of their mother." Severus chuckled deeply. "Did you know that my father was abusive towards not only me but towards my mother as well? I told her I could save her, I told her we could run away, run away someplace he could never find us." Hermione sat in silence. "She didn't listen and one day she ended up dead on our living room carpet and there was nothing I could do to save her."

Severus bowed his head down, his hands sliding across the wooden table. Hermione swallowed the knot in her throat and slide her hands over his, grabbing his hands in hers. She flinched back as he pulled his hands away from hers –almost violently.

"I'm seriously Hermione. You need to press charges, if not for your sake then for the sake of your children." Severus pushed himself out of his chair loudly.

"Where are you going?" She asked weakly, glancing up towards him sadly.

"What happened to the Ms. Know It All that used to defend not only her own honor but her friends as well?" He muttered bitterly, glaring back down at her before striding past her.

She glanced over her shoulder as his frame disappeared from the shop. Glancing back towards the table as brought her hand down to her chest, her breathing shallow and labored as more tears clouded her vision. Pushing away from her seat she gasped loudly, ignoring the odd stares of the other patrons, instead trying to make her way through the busy shop making her way towards the lavatory. "Excuse me." She muttered pushing through a crowed of gathers people, sneers and hisses were directly thrown her way as she did so.

When she finally reached the small room, she collapsed against the closed door, her hands shaking as she scratched at the door in a desperate attempt to push it open. After a few staggering seconds, she fell forward as the door swung open. Dragging her feet towards the sink, she grabbed onto the edge of the porcelain sink, holding on with fear that if she were to let go she would fall face first and knock herself out cold.

She felt sick to her stomach, her hands were clammy and sweaty preventing her from steadily holding onto the counter. Glancing up she frowned at her reflection in the glass –she looked ghastly and her whole entire frame shook violently.

He was angry with her. People had been angry with her before –Ron being the prime example but never had she felt this way about it. But he was angry with her, the man who had been casually taking a walk through both her heart and head was angry with her. Hot tears now streaked her tinted cheeks, what was she going to do?

Her knees buckled beneath her weight and she found herself on the cool tiled ground of the lavatory. She couldn't do this without him, he was her everything other than her children. He was there for her, his wise words of wisdom resonating through her head. She couldn't possibly go through without him.

She took a deep breath, a shaky one at that as she thought of her children –her two beautiful children, so full of life and joy. They loved him just as much as she did, they needed him just as much as she did. They needed a strong male presence in their life, a strong and safe presence.

Curling herself into a ball she wept. Wept till the tears flowed no more. She had to make things right, make things right with Ron, with Harry and with Severus. She had dragged him into this situation, he had never asked for it. No wonder he was upset with her –she was so pathetic and useless. Nothing more than a weak human, abused silly by her husband.

She glanced around the small room, her body finally stilling. She was pathetic, no wonder Ginny and Harry had taken pity on her, no wonder Severus was angry with her –this wasn't the Hermione Granger she had grown up to be? This was Hermione Weasley. She had to take things in her hands, she had to put an end to her misery. Severus was right. She had nearly died by the hands of her husband, and she had to do something about it. She had too.

* * *

Ron staggered through the streets of Diagon Alley, glancing around like a mad man at the various shops that surrounded him. Hushed whispers slewed his way as he pushed through the crowds of people. Her coworkers had told him she had shopping to do in Diagon Alley –so she had to be here somewhere.

"Oh you're Ronald Weasley aren't you?" He turned around at the sound of his name.

"Why yes I am," Ronald said flashing the young woman a smile. "And who might you be?"

"You probably don't remember me but I was your waitress the other night. Mandy?" The blond haired girl batted her long lashed up at him.

"Right yes I remember you," Ron stated as he continued glancing around the crowd. "Have you by any chance seen my wife? You remember her right?

"Yes of course! Hermione Granger! You two are the Golden Couple after all! I actually did just see her at the little coffee shop around the corner!" The girl said pointing off into the distance.

"Perfect thanks so much." He smiled down at the girl once more, her bright blue eyes twinkling brightly.

"By the way, I thought you should know," she began, leaning in close; her voice slipping into a whisper. "She was having tea with that slimy Severus Snape. You know Ex-Death Eater and Ex-Potions Master at Hogwarts." She twirled a long strand of hair around her finger, snickering at her own harshness.

Ron quickly lashed his head around towards the direction of the coffee shop.

"Why exactly would the wife of a hero like yourself be hanging around with someone of that sort?"

His face increasingly became the same shade to that of his hair. His hands balled into fists at his sides, and he spat, "I haven't the slightest clue, but I'll find out soon enough."

* * *

 **First of all I am so sorry for the long wait! I know it's been like almost a whole month but so much has been going on that it was hard to find any time to write at all! But I do hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I made it extra long for you guys, take it as my apology for making you guys wait! As usually thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited and followed I highly appreciate it so please continued doing it! The next chapter is going to be the climax of the story so watch out for that soon!**

 **Secondly, I have taken aboard a new assistant for this story who is serving as my consultant for the story! So now instead of it simply being me behind it all I have someone to help me out!**

 **Thirdly, once this story has been completed I am planning on going through an entire revision of the piece so please look forward to that in the future once the story is completed!**

 **Finally and most important of it all, if you enjoy this story and if you want to support it then please go a vote for it! It's super simple, all you have to do is follow the link on my profile and go vote for 'Bottled Happiness' under the Best Harry Potter Fanfiction category! All your support means the absolute world to me and I hope you will all take the time to go vote!**

 **As always thanks for reading and I will hopefully see you all soon!**

 **Penny x**


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